Pakistan Finds Itself in Unwanted Record Books After Dismal Start Against New Zealand

Pakistan endured a nightmare start in their Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand, faltering in their chase of 321 runs and landing themselves on some unwanted ODI record lists.

A Struggle From the Start

Chasing a formidable target, Pakistan’s innings got off to a rocky start. With Fakhar Zaman sidelined due to a lower back injury sustained in the first innings, Babar Azam opened the batting alongside Saud Shakeel. However, the experienced duo failed to provide stability, with Shakeel departing for just six runs off 19 balls. William O’Rourke claimed his wicket, leaving Pakistan reeling at 8/1 in 3.4 overs.

Pakistan

Captain Mohammad Rizwan stepped in but failed to turn things around. His struggle at the crease ended after scoring just three runs off 14 balls, courtesy of a brilliant catch by Glenn Phillips. Meanwhile, Babar also failed to find any rhythm, and by the end of the powerplay, Pakistan had crawled to 22/2.

A Worrying Trend in ODI Cricket

Since the beginning of 2024, Pakistan has maintained a run rate of just 4.73 in the first 10 overs, ranking among the slowest full-member teams. Only Afghanistan (4.58) and Ireland (4.28) have had a lower scoring rate. Additionally, Pakistan’s powerplay dot-ball percentage stands at 65.4%, second only to Ireland (69.4%) among full-member nations.

Adding to their woes, Pakistan also registered one of the lowest powerplay scores in recent ODI history. Their 22/2 against New Zealand in Karachi is tied with Afghanistan’s 22/2 against South Africa in Sharjah as the lowest since 2024.

Lowest Powerplay Scores Since 2024

ScoreTeamOpponentVenue
22/2AfghanistanSouth AfricaSharjah
22/2PakistanNew ZealandKarachi
23/4Sri LankaNew ZealandWellington

With such a dismal start to the tournament, Pakistan will need to make significant improvements if they hope to compete against top-tier opposition.

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