Defending Champions and hosts Pakistan crashed out of ICC Champions Trophy 2025 after New Zealand defeated Bangladesh by five wickets in their Group A encounter at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday. After losing against India in a do-or-die encounter in Dubai, Pakistan’s hopes of making it to the last four depended on Bangladesh doing the unthinkable and beating the red hot kiwis.
Pakistan are officially out of Champions Trophy 2025 pic.twitter.com/L6dDjCUnwy
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 24, 2025
The BlackCaps hardly broke a sweat and registered their second win of the Champions Trophy.
The defeat also ended Bangladesh’s run in the tournament as India and New Zealand sealed their places in the semi-finals from Group A. The fixture on March 2 between India and New Zealand will determine which team will finish at the top of the group.
India and New Zealand are through to the semis:
India will play their semi-final in Dubai on March 4, while New Zealand will play theirs on March 5 at the Gadaffi Stadium, Lahore.
Pakistan is hosting an ICC event after 29 years. However, the national cricket team failed to convert it into a happy occasion for the fans, as their performance on the field raised several questions.
Pakistan’s tournament started on a sour note as the side failed to chase down 321 against New Zealand in Karachi. Babar Azam’s show with the bat came under severe scrutiny as he didn’t show enough intent with the bat, scoring 64 off 90 balls.
Khushdil Shah and Salman Ali Agha tried their best in the middle. But it was too little too late, and in the end, New Zealand emerged triumphant, putting Pakistan under severe pressure.
The match against India became a must-win. Pakistan already had a dismal record against the arch-rival in ICC events, and the proceedings unfolded in a similar fashion.
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