Will Young and Tom Latham became the first New Zealand pair and fifth overall to score a hundred each in the same innings in the history of ICC Champions Trophy. The Kiwi duo Will Young and Tom Latham entered the record books in Karachi on Wednesday during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener against Pakistan at the National Stadium.
Before Tom Latham and Will Young, India’s Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly, West Indies Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo, Australia’s Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyad were the four pairs to have scored hundreds in a same match of ICC Champions Trophy.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : The off side is 62m for the right hander and the leg side is 67m. The boundary down the ground is longer. The surface is very dry with a lot of cracks. Looks like a good wicket, we have seen mixed results here in terms of run chases. An ideal target has to be around that 300 mark. Spinners will be in the game with the cracks and dry patches in the good length area. Will be important to see how the batters defend the smaller side of the ground reckons Bazid Khan and Matthew Hayden in their pitch report.
Toss : Pakistan skipper Mohammed Rizwan won the toss and chose to bowl with Haris Rauf coming in for Faheem Ashraf in the playing XI. New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner bowling first bought Matt Henry in the playing XI and Will Young opens the batting as Rachin Ravindra was still unavailable.
Will Young’s , Tom Latham’s powerful tons powered by Glenn Philips assault take NZ from 78 for 3 to 320 for 5 in 50 overs
Given the recent history of games at the venue, it was an auspicious start on a red-letter day in Pakistan cricket. However, two balls into the game, those present at the famous venue watched with furrowed ‘brows as the man chiefly responsible for Pakistan’s ‘defending champs’ tag – Fakhar Zaman – took a nasty tumble while trying to field and hobbled off the field holding his back.
The total of 320 runs, however, had looked so far away when New Zealand were reduced to 40 for 2 in the ninth over and then 73 for 3 in the 17th over. That’s when Young got together with Tom Latham to repair the early damage and then boss the middle overs.
New Zealand then enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges as Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah found little to no lateral movement in the air or off the surface. Young clipped away friendly deliveries angled towards his pads for boundaries as the first five overs brought 30 runs. Rizwan introduced Abrar Ahmed in the sixth over and the leg spinner repaid the faith in just his ninth ball as a slider caught Devon Conway playing down the wrong line to be bowled.
Young has spent much of his international career on the fringes. He might not have played this game had Ravindra been fit and despite his maiden international hundred away from home, he might make way for Ravindra once the allrounder recovers.
In Kane Williamson’s absence, Young had emerged as the Player of the Series in New Zealand’s historic 3-0 sweep of India in India but was left out for Williamson in New Zealand’s very next Test against England at home. However, whenever Young gets an opportunity, he’s ready to take it, like he demonstrated once again on Wednesday.
After Devon Conway was undone by a carrom ball from mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed for 10 and Williamson fell for his first single-digit ODI score in six years, in the next over, Young reined himself in and saw off challenging spells from Abrar and Naseem Shah.
Pakistan doubled down on that breakthrough as Naseem had Kane Williamson feathering an edge to the ‘keeper in the very next over. Daryl Mitchell struggled to come to terms with the pace and bounce off the pitch and was hurried on a pull shot by the fit-again Haris Rauf, reducing New Zealand to 73 for 3 in the 17th over. Forty nine of those runs at that point had come off Young’s bat when Tom Latham joined him for the recovery job.
The two batters proceeded to produce an excellent 118-run stand without ever really seeming like having gotten out of third gear. The runs came unabated as Tom Latham played his patented sweep confidently against the spinners while Young drove and cut with panache. The two batters also turned strike over and ran hard between the wickets.
The only stutter in the stand came when Rauf returned for a spell and bowled a string of pacy short balls that jumped at Tom Latham. The sequence included a burnt review for a caught behind, a tough catch put down – Tom Latham was on 41 – and another ball that was fended away awkwardly but away from the onrushing bowler.
Young became only the fourth New Zealand batter to score a Champions Trophy century with a single of his 107th delivery. Young brought up his third fifty-plus score in nine innings in Pakistan and converted it into a century. He got there in 107 balls in the 35th over, with Ravindra warmly applauding him from the dressing room.
As for Tom Latham, he rattled off his own hundred off 95 balls and remained unbeaten on 118 off 104 balls. It capped a remarkable turnaround for him after he had come into the tri-series final on the back of three ducks, stretching back to the Auckland ODI against Sri Lanka in January.
After being assisted by multiple reprieves on his way to 56 in the tri-series final against Pakistan, Latham reminded the world of his full range. He played a variety of sweeps, including the reverse, off a variety of lengths to disrupt Pakistan’s spinners. Fifty-two of his 118 runs came square or behind square on the leg side.
After Young holed out for 107, Tom Latham forged 125-run partnership with Phillips for the fifth wicket off just 74 balls. Having been on 10 off 18 balls, Phillips surged to his fifty off his next 16 balls. He had launched Shaheen for back-to-back sixes and then when he shaped to ramp Haris Rauf over short third, he ended up toe-ending it to the fielder for 61 off 39.
Tom Latham got to his eighth ODI ton 15 balls faster, striking 10 fours and three sixes in his knock and scoring his second fifty in just 31 balls as New Zealand cashed in on the platform that the pair had laid. Tom Latham was aided in this cause by a terrific cameo from Glenn Phillips, who struck four sixes in his 39-ball 61. The final 10 overs brought 113 runs as New Zealand got to 320, a total that didn’t seem achievable during their wobbly beginning.
Babar Azam’s slow 64 runs and Khushdil Shah and Salman Ali Agha’s cameos in vain as Will O`Rourke’s and Mitchell Santner’s 3-fers give NZ 60 runs win
Pakistan’s response was sluggish from the outset. With Fakhar Zaman unable to open due to an injury sustained while fielding, Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel had the responsibility to provide a steady start. However, Shakeel perished early, chasing a wide delivery from Will O’Rourke, while Mohammad Rizwan fell soon after, courtesy of a stunning one-handed catch by Phillips at backward point. Pakistan crawled to just 22/2 in 10 overs, marking their lowest powerplay score in ODIs since 2019.
Even with Zaman injured and unable to open the batting, the sensible option for Pakistan would have been to try and keep pace with the asking rate and send a ripple of their aggressive intent around the tournament. Instead, they made a limp opening and crawled to 22 for 2 after 10 overs with Will O’Rourke picking both the wickets. While Saud Shakeel found third man with an attempted cut, Rizwan’s wicket was all Phillips’ doing as he plucked out a sensational diving catch at backward point to dismiss the Pakistan captain.
Phillips wasn’t done though. He produced the play of the day when he leapt to his left from point, stuck out one hand above his head and held onto a screamer to dismiss Mohammad Rizwan for 3 off 14 balls on the last ball of the first powerplay. Will O’Rourke had already dismissed Saud Shakeel, the makeshift opener in place of Fakhar, for 6 in the fourth over. Matt Henry, who had missed the tri-series final with a knee niggle, also kept it tight in the first powerplay, which yielded Pakistan only 22 for 2.
Fakhar Zaman, despite his injury, walked in at No. 4 but struggled to rotate strike against New Zealand’s disciplined spinners. Michael Bracewell and Phillips dried up the scoring options, with Fakhar eventually falling for a labored 24 off 41 balls. Salman Agha briefly raised Pakistan’s hopes with an enterprising 42 off 28 balls, taking the attack to Phillips, but his dismissal in the 30th over left Pakistan staring at a steep climb.
Zaman limped out to bat at No.4 and was heavily restricted in his movements and running between the wickets. Curiously enough Babar Azam didn’t try to take the two offspinners – Michael Bracewell and Phillips – operating in tandem. Pakistan played as many as 75 dot balls in the first 17 overs of the chase and allowed the asking rate to climb above eight runs per over very early.
As it turned out, the forecast dew never showed up and with New Zealand’s spinners managing to extract twice as much spin as their Pakistani counterparts, even third seamer Nathan Smith was not needed until the 31st over. Zaman got a few boundaries away but was eventually castled by Bracewell. Babar got to a half-century but his 64 runs came at a strike-rate of 71. That meant, batters around him had to continuously keep hitting to catch up with the asking rate.
New Zealand’s bowling strategy was a masterclass in defensive containment and wicket-taking pressure. After Matt Henry and O’Rourke had choked Pakistan’s top order, Santner and Bracewell took over, extracting sharp turn on a slowing Karachi surface. With over 100 dot balls in the first 25 overs, Pakistan’s innings lacked momentum.
The turning point came when Santner dismissed Babar Azam for 60 off 90 balls, a painstaking effort that never truly threatened New Zealand’s hold on the game. Santner continued to weave his magic, dismissing Tayyab Tahir and then trapping Babar into mis-hitting a sweep shot, reducing Pakistan to 153/6 by the 34th over. With the required run rate soaring past 12, Pakistan’s defeat was all but sealed.
It was Pakistan’s lowest score in the first ten overs since March 2019 and third lowest in the history of the Champions Trophy. There would be no way back for them, despite late blows from Khushdil Shah, who hit 69 off 49 balls, and the lower order. Pakistan were ultimately bowled out for 260 in the 48th over.
Pakistan’s inability to rotate strike and their cautious approach in the first half of the innings proved costly. Their decision to take the chase deep backfired as they found themselves well behind the required rate with limited firepower left in the latter overs. The 104 dot balls in the first 25 overs reflected their struggle to break free from New Zealand’s well-executed plans.
On the other hand, New Zealand’s disciplined bowling, intelligent use of spin, and sharp fielding were hallmarks of their comprehensive victory. Their ability to adjust to the conditions and execute their strategies flawlessly underlined their growing title credentials.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Mohammad Rizwan the losing Pakistan skipper said : They made a good target, we didn’t expect that. We were looking at something around 260. We tried our best and used all tactics, but they played well and put up a good target. We see the pitch conditions, earlier the pitch wasn’t easy to bat but when Will Young and Latham got together batted it got easier. At the end, we made the same mistake like we did in Lahore and they made a good target.
We didn’t get a good start with the bat. (On the extent of injury to Fakhar Zaman) Not sure yet, he hasn’t got his result yet. He is in some pain. We lost the momentum twice – once while bowling in the death and then while batting in the powerplay. It is disappointing for us, we played it like a normal match. The match is gone now and hopefully we can do better in the rest.
Mitchell Santner the winning New Zealand skipper said : Pleased with the way we went about it. Pakistan bowled well, so in the middle stage when Latham and Young could build a partnership that was great, they scored a few boundaries as well. And then GP came out and smashed it around. We were targeting around 260, but glad we could get more in the death overs.
After the score we got, we were brilliant in the first 10 overs, and then we could put the squeeze in, keep that run rate pressure on them and get wickets. (On the Phillips catch) We kind of expect that from him now, and getting Rizwan out was a massive wicket.
(On the importance of the previous tri-series) Understanding the conditions and the opposition was crucial. You have to hit a slightly shorter length out here and for spinners, it is about bowling slower. This win shows if we can do the hard yards with the bat, then we can carry on with the ball and put the squeeze on the opposition.
Tom Latham Player of the Match for his blistering 118* said : Yeah, certainly helps when you played on a surface before. Felt nice to contribute, Will Young played exceptionally and then to get to 320 was just brilliant. When I came in, it was about building a partnership.
We could do that and then improve the run rate, and then GP came in and played an exceptional hand once again. Gave us the momentum to get through to the second innings. At the back end, you want to get as many as you can. Glad we could today. There was a lack of dew today so the ball turned quite a bit, it was better to bowl second with conditions like that.
The refurbished National Stadium filled up after the late afternoon glare had made way to a pleasant evening but those in the stands decked in the green could only let out the odd gurgle of pleasure as New Zealand played spoilsport on the day a major ICC tournament made its return to Pakistan. Tom Latham (118*) and Will Young (107) glided their way to centuries and a decisive fourth-wicket partnership as the Black Caps posted 320 before sinking another host at the start of a marquee tournament.
Tom Latham reeled of a high-grade 118*, building on from a rut-ending half-century he managed against the same opposition in the final of the tri-series at this very venue last week. Young, who was playing only because of a freak injury to Rachin Ravindra, scored the most balanced of centuries as he managed a near even split of his 107 runs between the front foot and backfoot scoring shots.
Together, they helped New Zealand overcome a stuttering start on a wicket that offered different degrees of bounce from the two ends before the bowlers put the game beyond Pakistan’s reach. The eventual margin of victory – by 60 runs – will not attest to the fact that it was less than plain sailing for New Zealand, who were challenged to find a dew-proof score by Mohammad Rizwan at the toss.
Pakistan had to wait for nearly three decades for a global tournament to return to their country, but New Zealand spoiled their party on the opening day of the Champions Trophy, handing the co-hosts a 60-run loss in Karachi. In a short, sharp tournament, where each team plays just three group-stage games, a defeat like this might jeopardise Pakistan’s chances of making the semi-finals.
Will Young and Tom Latham were the architects of their team’s victory, both batters scoring outstanding hundreds to set up the dominance that followed but there was also a little bit of luck.
Two balls into the game, Fakhar Zaman suffered an injury while chasing a cover drive from Young and was forced off the field for large parts of the first innings. As result of the time spent off the field, Fakhar, whose big hitting is exactly what was necessary for a big chase, could not open the batting in their pursuit of 321.
And when he came out to bat at No. 4 – Pakistan were 22 for 2 in ten overs at the time – he was visibly hampered while running between the wickets. New Zealand’s offspinners, Michael Bracewell and Glenn Phillips, kept hiding the ball away from his reach and made life even more difficult for him. Fakhar’s tortured stay eventually ended when Bracewell bowled him with a non-turner for 24 off 41 balls.
Just like Fakhar, most of the Pakistan batters failed to get out first gear, including Babar Azam who needed 81 balls for his fifty. New Zealand’s attack was depleted by the injuries to Lockie Ferguson and Ben Sears, but their spinners made up for that on a pitch that offered turn and variable bounce. The spinners were so good that New Zealand didn’t need Nathan Smith, their third seamer, until the 31st over. By then Pakistan’s asking rate had almost touched ten an over.
New Zealand were also depleted by the injury-enforced absence of Rachin Ravindra, but Young and Tom Latham scored tone-setting hundreds before Glenn Phillips provided an electric finish. In all, New Zealand plundered 113 off their last ten overs to finish with 320.
The old chickens come to roost once again for Pakistan. For the third time in a matter of weeks, they have been outskilled, out tacticed and outplayed by New Zealand on their own patch. Some familiar problems for the hosts, as they conceded too many in the death overs, and then had a mountain to climb. With Fakhar ineligible to bat due to an injury and staying off the field, Pakistan opened with Babar and Saud Shakeel.
Both batters played tepidly against the early swing, before Shakeel was dismissed. Rizwan replaced him and fell to a blinder of a catch at backward point by Glenn Phillips. Pakistan showed little to no intent for the first half of their innings, as Babar got to an 81 ball fifty, while Fakhar Zaman struggled to find his groove as well.
There was a late cameo from Khushdil Shah who got a fifty, and then the bowlers had some fun with a few sixes, but that just reduced the margin of defeat and the margin of embarrassment, as the fate of the match was already sealed. For New Zealand’s part, they used the early swing perfectly and then the spinners bowled slowly, extracting plenty of turn off the surface.
A disappointing start for the defending champions as Pakistan slump to a defeat with some familiar patterns resurfacing. The bowlers are conceding far too many in the slog overs, and the batters are lacking the intent needed to keep up with ODI cricket in 2025. In the words of a famous coach from a different sport, maybe the time for ‘cosmetic changes’ is over, maybe it is time for ‘open heart surgery’ for Pakistan. But we’ll leave the hacky medical comparisons to sports teams for another time.