Following a dismal 60-run loss over New Zealand in the opening ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 here at the National Bank Stadium on Wednesday, Pakistan’s white-ball skipper Mohammad Rizwan opened up.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Rizwan said that the main cause of his team’s terrible loss was their incapacity to carry out plans, particularly in the death overs.
The captain said that although his side was not expecting New Zealand to produce a total above the 300-run mark, the cooperation between centurions Will Young and Tom Latham rained on their parade.
“We didn’t imagine they would get 320; I believe they set a quite reasonable aim. When we struck early wickets, we considered 260. Said Rizwan, the Will Young-Latham alliance was absolutely vital.
“We tried, but they got to that total since they played so smartly. Though early on the pitch was difficult, Will Young and Latham’s innings were vital. We performed poorly in the finish overs, so they scored that,” he said.
Crucially, Rizwan also gave an update on the fitness of Fakhar Zaman before terming his unavailability at the top of the batting order during the difficult run chase.
“Let us find out from the [scan] what comes out. Twice we lost momentum; first in the death overs and again in the powerplay with the bat. Losing Fakhar Zaman [as opener] was absolutely vital, Rizwan said.
Mohammad Rizwan went on to say that he would treat the forthcoming game against arch-rivals India “normal” and that he was not considering their position as the defending champions.
“We wanted to avoid making ourselves under strain by believing we are supporting champions. This match is gone; the next one is another ordinary one for us.
