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Karachi's National Stadium will host the opening match of the 2025 Champions Trophy on Wednesday, February 19. Defending champions Pakistan will take on Mitchell Santner-led New Zealand in the first game of the tournament.
Pakistan and New Zealand recently battled twice on Pakistan soil, with New Zealand winning both games. The Blackcaps won the group-stage match of the tri-series (including South Africa) against Pakistan and beat them in the final as well.
New Zealand will start as the favorites to win the upcoming match. Before the mega event begins, here's a glance at the pitch history and ODI records of National Stadium.
National Stadium, Karachi ODI records
Karachi has hosted 56 ODI matches so far, with teams batting first winning 26 times. Teams batting first and teams batting second have an almost equal win percentage, showing that toss does not play a huge role in ODIs on this ground.
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Here are some other crucial stats to know from the previous ODIs played in Karachi:
Matches played: 56
Won by teams batting first: 26
Won by teams batting second: 28
Tied: 0
No result: 2
Highest individual score: 181 - Sir Viv Richards (WI) vs Sri Lanka, 1987
Best bowling figures: 6/13 - Ajantha Mendis (SL) vs India, 2008
Highest team total: 374/4 - India vs Hong Kong, 2008
Lowest team total: 115 - Bangladesh vs Pakistan, 2008
Highest successful run-chase: 355/4 - Pakistan vs South Africa, 2025
Average first innings score: 246.
National Stadium, Karachi pitch report
The pitch in Karachi is generally good for batting. In the recently played tri-series between Pakistan, South Africa, and New Zealand, the hosts chased down a 353-run target against South Africa on this ground.
Anything around 300 should be a good score in the first innings. Pacers should dominate initially, but batters and spinners should have a larger say in the game as the contest progresses.
National Stadium, Karachi last ODI
New Zealand defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the last ODI hosted by this venue. The match was played on February 14, 2025, when the Blackcaps comfortably chased down a 243-run target against the Men in Green.
Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham smashed a half-century each for the Blackcaps. Fast bowler Will O'Rourke took four wickets while spinner Mitchell Santner bowled a tidy spell of 2/20 in 10 overs.
Brief scores: New Zealand 243/5 (Daryl Mitchell 57, Naseem Shah 2/43) beat Pakistan 242 (Mohammad Rizwan 46, Will O'Rourke 4/33) by 5 wickets.
ICC Champions Trophy 2025, ICC Champions Trophy India Schedule, India Squad ICC Champions Trophy, ICC Champions Trophy Schedule
