Latham and Young assist New Zealand in dominating Pakistan
ICC Champions Trophy Group A, Karachi
New Zealand 320-5 (50 overs): Latham 118* (104), Young 107 (113); Naseem 2-63
Pakistan scored 260 runs in 47.2 overs: Khushdil made 69 runs off 49 balls, Babar scored 64 off 90; O’Rourke took 3 wickets for 47 runs.
New Zealand triumphed by 60 runs.
Evaluation Chart
Centuries by Tom Latham and Will Young paved the way for New Zealand’s impressive 60-run victory over host Pakistan in the opening match of the Champions Trophy.
The Black Caps batted first in Karachi and, although they lost three quick wickets, maintained their calm in a well-paced innings to score 320-5.
Opener Young, who was in the lineup due to Rachin Ravindra’s injury, established the tempo as he reached a century off 107 balls and formed a 118-run partnership with Latham for the fourth wicket.
Test skipper Latham continued his innings to reach his century off 95 balls, and after partnering in a 125-run stand with Glenn Phillips (61 from 39 balls), he ended up not out on 118 from 104 balls.
Pakistan’s pursuit only truly gained momentum after the match had been lost.
Following a slow beginning, Phillips’ remarkable one-handed catch at backward point to get Muhammad Rizwan out left them at 22-2 by the conclusion of the powerplay.
The necessary rate had barely dipped below 10 an over when Salman Ali Agha arrived and displayed some aggression, yet his 42 off 28 balls merely maintained that rate – and as soon as he was out, it quickly started to climb once more.
Babar Azam, who was subdued initially in his innings, momentarily attempted to continue Agha’s momentum but was dismissed by Mitchell Santner for 64, while Khushdil Shah provided the home crowd with a spark of hope with a counter-attacking 69 off 49 balls.
