Watch cricket video highlights of Pakistan Tri-Nation Series 2025. First ODI between Pakistan and New Zealand. Venue of the match will be Lahore.
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A relentless assault from Glenn Phillips in the last six overs of the first innings allowed New Zealand to secure a dominant victory against Pakistan in the opener of the tri-series in Lahore. The visitors set a target of 330, fueled by Phillips’ century off 72 balls, with 98 runs accumulated in the closing overs. Pakistan struggled to mount a credible challenge, relying heavily on a strong start from Fakhar Zaman. However, when Phillips – who was seemingly unstoppable – dismissed him lbw for a brisk 84 off 69 balls, Pakistan’s resistance crumbled, making New Zealand’s chase relatively straightforward.
To further worsen Pakistan’s evening, Haris Rauf sustained an injury that prevented him from batting, leading to a 78-run triumph for New Zealand. Initially, New Zealand’s innings seemed challenging until the 44th over, with Pakistan consistently taking wickets, although half-centuries from Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell kept the scoreboard moving. On an easy surface, Pakistan’s bowlers had performed exceptionally well in limiting New Zealand’s scoring rate, with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah combining for five dismissals.
Yet, all that changed when Phillips unleashed his attack, tearing through Pakistan’s bowlers toward the end. He scored his final 77 runs off just 32 balls, handing New Zealand significant momentum as they went into the dinner break. New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat on what appeared to be a dry, flat pitch at the newly constructed Gaddafi stadium, but immediately faced difficulties. Afridi continued his ODI wicket-taking streak by claiming a wicket in his first over, enticing Will Young into an edge caught by the keeper.
With Williamson somewhat subdued during the initial powerplay, the run scoring largely came from a vigorous cameo by Rachin Ravindra. A few boundaries off Afridi highlighted his aggressive intent as he quickly reached 25 off 18 deliveries, with 20 runs coming from boundaries. However, a careless shot off Abrar Ahmed ended his promising innings when he was caught and bowled. Williamson focused on building a platform, but gradually New Zealand found themselves in a bind.
By the conclusion of the 18th over, their scoring rate dipped below four, with Mitchell struggling significantly, managing just 9 runs off his first 22 balls. The scoring burst arrived unexpectedly, mainly driven by Mitchell, who advanced down the pitch to loft a six over the sightscreen off Khushdil Shah. Williamson began to find his rhythm too, as New Zealand started to manipulate the bowling, and their run rate began to rise as the partnership neared three figures.
However, Pakistan retained control of the match by claiming wickets at regular intervals, and two dismissals in five balls put New Zealand back on the backfoot. Afridi once again disrupted the partnership, as Williamson edged a delivery that Rizwan easily caught. The variable nature of the pitch then caused problems for Tom Latham, who misjudged a ball that stopped on him, leading to a catch at midwicket. But with Mitchell and Phillips at the crease, New Zealand’s two most effective late-overs hitters were in position to make an impact, and they did just that over the following hour.
Mitchell capitalized on the Pakistan spinners’ shorter lengths; all five of his sixes came off spin deliveries, but it ultimately led to his dismissal. A harmless full toss from Abrar was inexplicably hit straight to midwicket, and Mitchell walked away 19 runs shy of a century, disbelief etched on his face. However, for Pakistan, it was a brief calm before the impending chaos. Phillips had been quite subdued until the 42nd over, scoring only 29 off 43 balls, but after hitting Salman Agha for a six, there were indications that he was starting to find his rhythm.
Agha was hit for two more sixes in the following over, but it was the return of the fast bowlers that truly unleashed his dominance. A gentle tap off Naseem in the 47th over brought Phillips his fifty, but he was far from finished. Afridi was dispatched over deep midwicket and then scooped over short third for back-to-back sixes, followed by a massive 17 runs being taken off Naseem in the 49th over. The most destructive was the final over against Afridi, yielding an incredible 25 runs, which marked the achievement of Phillips’ first ODI century.
The crowd was at capacity and buzzing when Pakistan began their innings, as Babar Azam opened alongside Fakhar. The excitement was for Babar, yet it was Fakhar who burst out of the gates, providing Pakistan with a quick start during the Powerplay. However, Babar’s opening performance—his first since 2015—was disappointing, as he flicked a harmless delivery from Michael Bracewell directly into the hands of a midwicket fielder.
Kamran Ghulam also struggled, leading the burden to fall on Fakhar to produce a monumental innings for Pakistan to make progress in their chase. For a period, he gave them hope, attacking Mitchell Santner and Bracewell as he raced toward his century, but both Ghulam and Rizwan were dismissed at the other end. The turning point for Pakistan came in the 24th over when Phillips bowled a delivery that struck Fakhar plumb in front, leaving the asking rate climbing above nine with still 212 runs required.
The lower-middle order had little realistic chance of getting Pakistan close, which was mirrored by the crowd’s movement towards the exits. Tayyab Tahir and Agha attempted to maintain the momentum, forming a decent partnership, yet even moments of brilliance seemed to favor New Zealand when Bracewell executed a sensational catch diving to his right, dismissing a shocked Tahir. From that point, it felt as though both teams were simply going through the motions, with New Zealand effectively whittling down the lower order.
The only concerning news for the visitors was a potentially serious injury to Ravindra, who was struck in the face by a ball that he lost in the lights, causing blood to stream down his forehead as he exited the field. The match itself unfolded more easily for New Zealand. Khushdil and Agha were both dismissed to spin within a span of four balls, and despite a brief entertaining appearance from Abrar at the very end, Pakistan was only prolonging the inevitable. Matt Henry bounced out Naseem with 13 balls remaining; they are now in a strong position in the tournament and appear well-prepared ahead of the Champions Trophy.
