The Champions Trophy is set to return today after eight years with the match between hosts and defending champions Pakistan and New Zealand. The two teams have often played against each other in recent times but when it comes to Champions Trophy, an interesting fact goes Kiwis’ way.
Pakistan will face New Zealand today in the opening game of the ICC Champions Trophy at the National Stadium in Karachi. For the first time since 1996, Pakistan are hosting an ICC event and all eyes are on the massive clash in Karachi. The two teams have often locked horns against each other in recent times playing 11 matches since the start of 2023 with Pakistan winning six and losing five. However, New Zealand have won three of the last four clashes including the recent tri-series final.
Now when it comes to the Champions Trophy, Pakistan have never beaten New Zealand in three attempts. The two teams played in the showpiece event in 2000, 2006 and 2009 and the BlackCaps emerged victorious on all occasions. Mohammad Rizwan and his men will be chasing history today as they aim to register their first-ever victory against New Zealand in the eight-team event.
PAK vs NZ Head to Head in Champions Trophy
| Matches Played | Pakistan won | New Zealand won |
| 3 | 0 | 3 |
As far as overall head-to-head in ODIs is concerned, Pakistan are leading having won 61 out of 118 matches against the Kiwis so far. New Zealand ended up on the winning side 53 times while three matches didn’t have any result.
PAK vs NZ Head to Head in ODIs
| Matches Played | Pakistan won | New Zealand won | Tie | No Result |
| 118 | 61 | 53 | 1 | 3 |
When it comes to playing in Pakistan, New Zealand do not have a great record losing a whopping 22 out of 30 matches. However, their recent record is exceptional in the country winning their last three matches played in the recent tri-series where South Africa was the third team.
Squads
Pakistan Squad: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Usman Khan, Saud Shakeel
New Zealand Squad: Will Young, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, William ORourke, Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson, Mark Chapman, Rachin Ravindra