Pakistan vs New Zealand Preview & Prediction | 2025 ICC Champions Trophy | Group Stage
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The first ICC Champions Trophy since 2017 kicks off with tournament hosts Pakistan taking on New Zealand in Karachi.
Date & time: Wednesday 19th February 2025: USA PT – 1:00am / USA ET – 4:00am / UK – 9:00am
Venue: National Bank Cricket Arena, Karachi, Pakistan
Weather: Plenty of sunshine come the start of play with temperatures of 30c.
How to watch: USA – Willow TV / UK – Sky Sports & Sky Go
How to get tickets for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy: Click here for the latest ticket information for Pakistan vs New Zealand
Pakistan Preview: All eyes on hosts on and off the pitch
Pakistan, the most recent winners of the ICC Champions Trophy haven’t hosted a major ICC tournament since the 1996 Cricket World Cup, underlining the magnitude of this event for their country. On the pitch, it’s difficult to know what to expect because it could be absolutely anything. The ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ of tournament cricket, one day down and the next day up. No one would be surprised to see Pakistan lose every game and no one would be surprised if they ended it up winning it all once again.
New Zealand Preview: Preparation provides promise
New Zealand head into the ICC Champions Trophy with plenty of optimism as they aim to secure their first men’s major title since the inaugural World Test Championship back in 2021. The Black Caps are coming off the back of winning a tri-series against Pakistan and South Africa, beating the former twice across three matches and getting themselves accustomed to conditions here in the sub-continent.
Pakistan Betting Analysis
The smart play when assessing Pakistan from a betting perspective would be to focus on their main strike bowler. Shaheen Shah Afridi and his blistering pace will trouble the New Zealand batters and could lead to early wickets for Pakistan with the new white ball. Shaheen’s left-arm angle also provides a valuable point of difference and it’s well worth backing him to take over 1.5 match wickets in this opening game.
New Zealand Betting Analysis
In a big ICC tournament, there’s usually nobody more reliable in a New Zealand than batter Kane Williamson and to see trend continue in Pakistan would be no surprise when taking into account his recent form. Williamson recorded 225 runs in three innings over the course of the Black Caps’ recent tri-series success, including scores of 58 and 34 against Pakistan, so backing him to once again accumulate over 28.5 match runs appears to be a sensible play.
Pakistan vs New Zealand Expert Prediction
Whilst Pakistan head into this first match of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy as favourites, you could argue that the better value can be found in backing New Zealand when considering their recent performances and back-to-back victories over Pakistan in 50-over cricket. Their batters have adapted well to conditions and their line-up feels a lot more stable than that of Pakistan. The Black Caps have racked up 881 runs across their last three ODI batting innings for the loss of just 15 of a possible 30 wickets and such figures make them worth favouring to come out on top here.
Pakistan vs New Zealand Top Tip: New Zealand to win
