Former England captain Michael Vaughan was surprised by low turnout for the Champions Trophy 2025 opener between Pakistan and New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday, February 19.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 begins on February 19, featuring key matches such as India vs Pakistan and Australia vs England. The tournament, culminating in the final on March 9, promises intense competition as teams vie for semifinal spots.

New Zealand underlined their title aspirations with a 60-run victory against defending champions Pakistan in a Group A match of the Champions Trophy at the National Stadium on Wednesday.

Pakistan’s 29-year wait to host a major International Cricket Council tournament ended Wednesday when it won the toss and elected to field in the Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand. Pakistan is the defending champion after beating archrival India in the final when the Champions Trophy was last played in 2017.

Pakistan's Babar Azam (64 off 90) and Khushdil Shah (69 off 49) put up a valiant fight while chasing a daunting 320-run target at the National Stadium in Karachi. However, with little support from the rest of the batting lineup,