Haris Rauf is Back as Rizwan Decides to Bowl First – Champions Trophy 2025
The Champions Trophy 2025 has finally started after eight long years. Cricket fans are excited and ready for the action. Today, February 19, the tournament starts. Pakistan will play against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi.
Pakistan, the defending champions, have made a strong start by winning the toss. Captain Mohammad Rizwan opted to bowl first, citing the impact of dew as a key factor. Pakistan aims to leverage its home advantage and strong bowling to put pressure on New Zealand right from the start.
Rizwan’s Toss Decision: Maximizing the Dew Factor
Speaking at the toss, Mohammad Rizwan explained his decision to field first:
“We are going to have a bowl first. There has been a dew factor that has affected the game in the last couple of matches. So, we want to maximise the dew factor.We are the defending champions of this tournament. So, there will be a bit of pressure on us, but if we think of ourselves as defending champions, we will only put ourselves under pressure. We want to keep it relaxed. We will treat it just like the previous Tri-Series. Playing here in Pakistan is great.”
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner chose to bowl first too. He is confident in his team’s batting strength.
“There is some dew around. It may get better to bat later on but we have to bat well. The wicket looks good. It’s a good experience. We have new faces and the boys are playing good cricket. We all are ready to go.”
Pakistan vs New Zealand – Playing XIs
New Zealand Playing XI
- Devon Conway (wk)
- Will Young
- Kane Williamson
- Daryl Mitchell
- Tom Latham
- Glenn Phillips
- Michael Bracewell
- Mitchell Santner (c)
- Nathan Smith
- Matt Henry
- William O’Rourke
Pakistan Playing XI
- Fakhar Zaman
- Babar Azam
- Saud Shakeel
- Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk)
- Agha Salman
- Tayyab Tahir
- Khushdil Shah
- Shaheen Afridi
- Naseem Shah
- Haris Rauf
- Abrar Ahmed
Haris Rauf is back in Pakistan’s pace attack. He adds more strength to an already solid bowling lineup.
Dew will be a factor, and both teams have strong lineups. So, the Champions Trophy 2025 opener should be an exciting match between two top cricket nations.
