ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Mitchell Santner refuses to hype Glenn Phillips' unreal catch to dismiss Mohammad Rizwan

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener saw a high-octane battle between the Mitchell Santner-led New Zealand National Cricket Team and Mohammad Rizwan-led Pakistan National Cricket Team on Wednesday, February 19.

Mitchell Santner's New Zealand National Cricket Team crushed the Men In Green by 60 runs at the National Stadium in Karachi. The Black Caps will next lock horns with Bangladesh on Monday, February 24, in Rawalpindi.

Also Read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Watch - Fakhar Zaman collapses, dropped by Devon Conway, then castled by Michael Bracewell

New Zealand dominate with bat and ball

Losing the toss and batting first in the match, the Kiwis ensured that they made the Mohammad Rizwan & Co. regret their decision.

Will Young smacked a brilliant century while opening the innings, and then from the middle-order, Tom Latham returned to form with a terrific ton. The sensational batting performances from the duo helped the team post a big score of 320/5 on the board.

Defending the total, the New Zealand bowlers looked absolutely dominant. They didn't let the Pakistan batters score and kept the run rate in check. Will O'Rourke and Mitchell Santner were top performers as they bagged three wickets each.

Matt Henry, Michael Bracewell, and Nathan Smith also did a good job and bundled out Pakistan for 260 runs to help their side get off to a great start in the competition.

Pleased with the way we went about it - Mitchell Santner

During the post-match presentation ceremony, Mitchell Santner said that they were pleased with the way things unfolded in the match.

He lauded Will Young and Tom Latham for smashing brilliant centuries and also showered rich praise on Glenn Phillips for his quickfire fifty. Mitchell Santner 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 targetting around 260, but glad we could get more in the death overs."

Mitchell Santner was also impressed with the way his bowling unit performed in the powerplay. He said:

"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.

The Kiwi capatain, meanwhile, refused to hype Glenn Phillips' unbelievable catch to dismiss Mohammad Rizwan and said that they expect such catches from him. Mitchell Santner signed off by talking about the importance of the Tri-nation series they played in Pakistan ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

"(On the Phillips catch) We kind of expect that from him now, and getting Rizwan out was a massive wicket," he said.

"(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."

How Did New Zealand Perform In The Previous Match Against Pakistan?

New Zealand delivered a great performance in the previous ODI match against Pakistan, which came in the recent Tri-Nation Series final.

The Black Caps bagged a five-wicket win in Karachi. Their brilliant bowling effort, led by Will O’Rourke’s career-best 4 for 43 and Mitchell Santner’s exceptional 2 for 20, restricted Pakistan to a low score of 242.

Their batting unit then chased down the target with ease, thanks to the contributions from Daryl Mitchell (57), Tom Latham (56), and Devon Conway (48).

The speedster O’Rourke set the tone early by dismissing Fakhar Zaman and later returning to remove key players Mohammad Rizwan, Faheem Ashraf, and Naseem Shah. Santner’s brilliant bowling in the middle overs stopped Pakistan from scoring quick runs, with his 10-over spell featuring 40 dot balls. Michael Bracewell also chipped in with two wickets to assist his skipper.

During the chase, New Zealand got off to a poor start with Will Young falling early, but Devon Conway and Kane Williamson stabilized the innings with a 71-run partnership.

Kane Williamson’s dismissal for 34 briefly opened a window for Pakistan, but Mitchell’s aggressive batting and a crucial 87-run stand with Latham took the game away from the hosts. Despite losing Latham late in the innings, Glenn Phillips (20* off 17) finished the game in style for his team with 28 balls to spare.