On Wednesday, Skipper Rizwan blamed poor bowling in the death overs for the New Zealand team’s 60-run defeat of the Pakistan team in the first match of the Champions Trophy 2025. Mohammad Rizwan attributed Will Young and Tom Latham of the New Zealand team to their decisive partnership, which helped the New Zealand team set a challenging target of 321 runs for the Host team. Rizwan said, “We didn’t expect them to reach 320. After taking early wickets we thought the fair target of around 250 runs for us. He added that the Young-Latham partnership was crucial. He said, They played very well which led them to reach that total, We tried to respond but Pakistan had to face defeat.
Rizwan Statement
Rizwan acknowledged the difficulties of the pitch, it wasn’t easy to bat on early and set a high target but the Young-Lathem partnership was crucial for the New Zealand team’s success and the Pakistan team’s defeat. He said, “Our performance in the death overs was not good which led them to reach that high score against Pakistan.” Skipper Rizwan also talked about the opener Fakhar Zaman who did not come to the opening while he was injured during fielding against New Zealand and it was a crucial blow for the whole Pakistan team. “Losing Fakhar early was vital. We didn’t want to pressure ourselves by thinking we were defending champions. We lost this match, we will focus on the next game. He said.
Mitchell Santner Statement
Mitchell Santer of New Zealand recalled the sentiments of Skipper Rizwan, Attributing the Young-Lathem partnership against the Pakistan team set a platform for them and he also appreciated the efforts and the importance of early bowling. Santer said, “I thought the bowling of the Pakistan team was good but the partnership of Young-Lathem to strike the rotation and the boundaries they picked at critical times. We were thinking of 260-280 but having wickets in hand allowed us to push beyond this.” Santer also appreciated New Zealand’s opening bowlers taking early wickets and the amazing performance in the first 10 overs. He added, Their new ball bowlers set the tone and put the pressure on defending champions and the Glenn’s catch and the dismissal of Rizwan were game-changing moments.
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The win in the first match gave New Zealand a positive attitude toward them, While Pakistan team has to reassemble ahead of their next game against India which will held on 23 February in the International Stadium of Dubai.
