"Have they forgotten to tell the locals" - Former England captain’s hilarious take on PAK vs NZ match of 2025 Champions Trophy

The 2025 Champions Trophy kicked off at the National Stadium in Karachi on February 19 with hosts Pakistan taking on New Zealand in the opening encounter. Former England captain Michael Vaughan hilariously suggested that Pakistan may have forgotten to inform their locals about the game, considering that empty stands in the afternoon.

The ongoing tournament is the first major ICC event to be held on Pakistani soil since the 1996 World Cup, which was jointly hosted by India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. While there was a massive buzz among the masses for the competition, fans didn't turn up in large numbers at the start of the first match.

Reacting to the underwhelming turnaround, Vaughan wrote on the microblogging platform X:

"Great to see the champions trophy being played in Pakistan .. First major event since 1996 .. Have they forgotten to tell the locals it’s on .. Where is the crowd ??"

The opening match of the 2025 Champions Trophy commended at 2:00 PM (local time). Several pictures surfaced on social media, showing the empty seats at the stadium. However, there is a chance that the number of spectators may increase as the match progresses.

It is worth mentioning that India won't play their matches in Pakistan after refusing to travel to their neighboring country citing security reasons. All the games featuring the Men in Blue will take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the UAE.

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Pakistan chose to bowl first in 2025 Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand

Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and elected to field first in the opening match of the 2025 Champions Trophy. The home team were off to a wonderful start, with spinner Abrar Ahmed sending back New Zealand opener Devon Conway in the eighth over.

Conway scored just 10 runs during his brief stay at the crease. Pakistan claimed another early wicket. Pacer Naseem Shah dismissed ace batter Kane Williamson for one run in the 10th over.

Haris Rauf struck in the 17th over, getting the better of Daryl Mitchell (10). At the time of writing, New Zealand are 80/3 after 18 overs, with Will Young (52*) and Tom Latham (4*) at the crease.