Exciting facts and more ahead of the Champions Trophy opener

Defending champions Pakistan will face New Zealand in the 2025 Champions Trophy opener in Karachi today. Leading up to the match, let's explore some interesting facts:

• Pakistan and New Zealand have faced off 118 times in ODIs, with Pakistan having a slight edge, winning 61 matches compared to New Zealand's 53. Three matches have ended without a result, and one match ended in a tie.
• Pakistan has yet to secure a win against New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy, having lost all three of their previous encounters with the Black Caps.
• New Zealand enters the contest with consecutive wins over Pakistan in the recently concluded Tri-Nation Series (also involving South Africa), which the Black Caps won, including victories in Lahore and Karachi.
• However, Pakistan defeated New Zealand in their most recent 50-over ICC event encounter, beating them by 21 runs in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.
• New Zealand has a slight advantage at Karachi’s National Stadium, with five wins out of nine meetings, compared to Pakistan's four.
• The National Stadium is known for its flat pitches and high-scoring games, with an average first innings total of 303 in the last five matches.
• Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, and Faheem Ashraf are the three members from Pakistan’s 2017 Champions Trophy-winning squad included in the team for this match.
• Fakhar Zaman has played the most ODIs against New Zealand, featuring in 19 out of his 85 matches. He averages 65.81 and has a best score of 180 not out against the Black Caps.
• Kane Williamson has scored the most runs in New Zealand-Pakistan encounters, amassing 1290 runs in 24 matches at an average of 56.08, with eight half-centuries and three centuries against Pakistan.