KARACHI, Pakistan — New Zealand concluded their preparations for the upcoming Champions Trophy in impressive fashion, overpowering Pakistan by five wickets during the tri-nation series final on Friday. Just days before their scheduled encounter at the Champions Trophy, Pakistan was bowled out for 242 runs, paving the way for New Zealand to chase down the target, scoring 243 runs with five wickets remaining in the 46th over.
Fast bowler Will O’Rourke made a strong case for inclusion in the opening match, claiming four wickets for 43 runs. Meanwhile, captain Mitchell Santner achieved his best one-day international bowling figures, conceding only 20 runs and taking two wickets. Despite their efforts, no Pakistani batsman reached a half-century, with Daryl Mitchell (57) and Tom Latham (56) steering New Zealand to their third consecutive victory in the series, which officially ended when Pakistan bowled a wide delivery for the 16th time in the match. New Zealand had previously claimed victories against both Pakistan and South Africa in earlier group stage matches held in Lahore.
Santner reflected on the match, noting the significance of different players delivering at various moments but emphasized that nothing counts until their first game at the Champions Trophy. Both teams will reconvene at the same venue for their next clash on Wednesday.
Addressing the pitch conditions, Santner mentioned, “It was a bit slower than anticipated. We aimed to bowl effectively and build pressure. Taking wickets early makes things easier in the middle order.”
Latham’s performance was particularly noteworthy. The left-handed batsman came into the final without having scored in both previous games in Lahore and had several close calls on his way to a total of 56 runs — being dropped twice and surviving an lbw appeal. He managed to overturn an on-field decision for a caught behind off Shaheen Shah Afridi. Latham ultimately hit his half-century in 60 balls, successfully forming a crucial partnership with Mitchell that saw them put together 87 runs in 88 balls, effectively countering Pakistan’s spinners.
Devon Conway also contributed significantly, scoring 48 runs as an opener after Rachin Ravindra was given rest following a head injury during their first matchup against Pakistan. Conway’s solid performance included a key 71-run partnership alongside Kane Williamson, who fell short of his third successive half-century, making only 34 runs. Conway came to the crease having edged a delivery from Naseem Shah, leading to Latham’s entrance to continue their chase.
New Zealand demonstrated an excellent understanding of the challenging pitch after losing the toss, effectively restricting Pakistan through tight early bowling and Santner’s economical middle overs. Babar Azam reached a milestone by becoming the joint-fastest player to achieve 6,000 ODI runs, matching Hashim Amla’s record, but soon after, he was dismissed for 29 runs, leaving him with a total of only 62 runs from three innings.
Captain Mohammad Rizwan (46) and Salman Ali Agha (45) attempted to stabilize Pakistan’s innings with an 88-run partnership, yet they were unable to replicate the scoring rate from their previous match against South Africa. O’Rourke’s impressive return saw him clean bowl Rizwan, while Salman was caught attempting a reverse sweep off Bracewell, resulting in his dismissal.
Rizwan noted their intent to bat first, believing that the pitch would become increasingly challenging in the second half, and acknowledged the prowess of the New Zealand bowlers. Tayyab Tahir (38) sought to accelerate scoring but fell into a catch at mid-wicket. Santner wrapped up Pakistan’s innings by claiming two wickets, finishing with notable bowling statistics of his own.
As for Faheem Ashraf, who was playing his first ODI since 2023, he was dropped twice before O’Rourke completed Pakistan’s disappointing batting display by taking the last two wickets, concluding their innings on a low note.
