Pakistan Playing 11 vs New Zealand - Match 1, ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Pakistan will be taking on New Zealand in the first game of the ICC Champions Trophy. The game is scheduled to take place on Wednesday (February 19) at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Pakistan are the defending champions and will be keen to start their title defence on a winning note. They recently suffered two losses against New Zealand in the ODI tri-series and will be desperate to turn things around.

In both the defeats, Pakistan were outplayed by New Zealand and they will have to come up with a special effort to turn things around. So as Pakistan gears up for the upcoming game, we are taking a look at the Pakistan Playing 11 for the match.

Pakistan Playing 11 vs New Zealand - Match 1, ICC Champions Trophy 2025:

Openers: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam

Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam are expected to be the openers in the Pakistan Playing 11 for the forthcoming game. They opened the innings for the team during the ODI tri-series. The onus will be on them to give Pakistan a good start with the bat.

In the tri-series final, both the players failed to get going and will be looking to bounce back. Fakhar was out for just 10 runs in the series decider.

On the other hand, Babar got the start but could not convert it into a big score. He was out for 29 runs against New Zealand in the final of the tri-series.

Middle-order batsmen and allrounders: Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf

Saud Shakeel had a disappointing outing in his last ODI game. The left-handed batsman was out for just 8 runs in the tri-series final. Even though Saud failed to impress in the game, he is likely to retain his spot in the Pakistan Playing 11.

Captain Mohammad Rizwan will be leading the charge with the bat for Pakistan during the middle overs. Rizwan looked in good touch in the tri-series and will be eyeing a good outing in his maiden ICC tournament as a captain. He scored a match-winning century against South Africa before scoring 46 against New Zealand.

Salman Agha looked in good touch too. He also scored a match-winning century against South Africa when Pakistan chased down a mammoth total of 353 runs. In the final, Salman had scored 45 runs.

Like Rizwan and Salman, Tayyab Tahir got the start with the bat in the final as well. He scored 38 runs and is expected to be a part of the Pakistan Playing 11. Khushdil Shah, who scored 7 runs, is also set to be named in the Pakistan team for the upcoming game. Faheem Ashraf is expected to be the main all-rounder in the Pakistan Playing 11.

Bowlers: Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed

Pakistan are set to play the game with two frontline pacers and one specialist spinner. While Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah will be the two fast-bowlers Abrar Ahmed is expected to be the spinner in the Pakistan Playing 11.