Champions Trophy 2025, Match 1, PAK vs NZ: Stats Preview of Players' Records and Approaching Milestones

The coveted ICC (International Cricket Council) event Champions Trophy (CT25) will be returning to the international cricket calendar after a seven-year hiatus and will kick off with the co-hosts Pakistan (PAK) taking on New Zealand (NZ) in Karachi. The tournament also marks the first ICC event being hosted in Pakistan in over 29 years. 

Both teams have had some good recent form to go on in the 50-over format. Pakistan won three ODI series in a row, all of them away from home, before finishing runners-up in a tri-series hosted by them, all of this in the last 6 months. 

New Zealand's ODI calendar has been sporadic compared to Pakistan's. New Zealand played only one ODI series in 2024, where they lost to Sri Lanka away from home. New Zealand then beat the same opponents in an ODI series at home in 2025, before enjoying an unbeaten run to win the tri-series hosted in Pakistan. 

Pakistan will look to settle some scores as the venue where they lost the tri-series final to New Zealand is the same as the one where they will open their campaign in the Champions Trophy 2025. Pakistan will also want to make amends for the fact that they have never beaten New Zealand in the mega ICC event.

Here are the upcoming milestones for players featuring in Champions Trophy opener:

• Mohammad Rizwan: Needs two dismissals to complete 100 dismissals in ODIs. 
• Babar Azam: Needs 23 runs to reach 14,500 runs in international cricket. 
• Naseem Shah: Needs 5 wickets to reach 50 ODI wickets. 
• Salman Agha: Needs 85 runs to reach 1,000 runs in ODIs. 
• Glenn Phillips: Needs 65 runs to reach 1,000 ODI runs. 
• Rachin Ravindra: Needs 30 runs to reach 1,000 runs in ODIs.