PAK vs NZ: Ex-England captain asks 'where's the crowd' at Karachi Stadium during Champions Trophy 2025 opener
The Champions Trophy 2025 kickstarted with Pakistan opting to bowl first against New Zealand in Karachi, but there was a lack of crowd in the opening match of the tournament.
FollowFormer England captain Michael Vaughan was surprised by low turnout for the Champions Trophy 2025 opener between Pakistan and New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday, February 19.
The Champions Trophy 2025 kickstarted with Pakistan opting to bowl first against New Zealand in Karachi. Pakistan are hosting an ICC tournament for the first time in 29 years. The last time the country hosted ICC matches was during the 1996 ODI World Cup as a co-host of the tournament alongside India and Pakistan. Therefore, there was a lot of hype and excitement among the fans in Pakistan as they eagerly anticipated the return of a major ICC event to their home soil.
However, despite the expectations of a packed stadium for the opening match between Pakistan and New Zealand, the empty stands at Karachi’s National Stadium in the afternoon took by surprise, including Michael Vaughan.
Taking to his X handle (formerly Twitter), former England captain hilariously stated that whether Pakistan forgot to inform their locals about the match, while questioning the lack of crowd despite the country hosting an ICC tournament after 29 years.
“Great to see the champions trophy being played in Pakistan .. First major event since 1996 .. Have they forgotten to tell the locals it’s on .. Where is the crowd ?? #ChampionsTrophy2025.” Michael Vaughan wrote on X.
Check Michael Vaughan's tweet
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) February 19, 2025
Pakistan are hosting the Champions Trophy 2025 with hybrid model in place as Team India play all their fixtures in Dubai after BCCI refused to send the Men in Blue to Pakistan due to security concerns. Pakistan will be hosting matches in Karachi’s National Stadium, Gaddafi Stadium of Lahore, and Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, and the Dubai International Stadium will host India matches.
Pakistan to chase 321-run target set by New Zealand
After putting to bat first by Pakistan, New Zealand posted a respectable total of 320/5. The middle-order batter Tom Latham led the Kiwis batting with a brilliant uneaten innings of 118 off 104 balls. Before Latham took charge of New Zealand’s innings, Will Young led from the front, scoring 107 off 113 balls.
Glenn Phillips too chipped in with an innings of 61 off 39 balls and formed a 125-run partnership with Tom Latham to take New Zealand past the 300-run mark. New Zealand set a 321-run target for Pakistan to chase.
In Pakistan’s bowling, Naseem Shah led the attack as he picked two wickets while conceding 63 runs at an economy rate of 6.3 in 10 overs. Haris Rauf registered figures 2/83 at an economy rate of 8.3 in 10 overs.
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