Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan in the virtual semi-final of the Asia Cup 2023 by two wickets to set a date with India on Sunday for the Asia Cup 2023 final. Charitha Asalanka was their hero in the last over who took the home team over the line against a Pakistani team that kept on fighting. Kusal Mendis was adjudged the player of the match for his 91 from 87 balls. This is the 11th time that Sri Lanka have qualified for the Asia Cup final in ODI format.

Read Also: India vs Bangladesh: Asia Cup 2023 Match Preview, Pitch Report, Possible Lineups & Dream XI Team Prediction

A late start to the game due to rain

Pakistan had announced to make as many as five changes ahead of their big game. But had to go with Fakhar Zaman, who was dropped in the first place due to poor form. Abdullah Shafique replaced Agha Salman in the playing eleven for them as well. Meanwhile, for Sri Lanka, Pramod Madushan replaced Kasun Rajitha, and Kusal Perera replaced Dimuth Karunaratne.

As usual, the toss was delayed due to the rain but Babar Azam did not wait for a second to choose bat when the coin flipped on his side. The game was shortened to 45 overs for each team due to the lost time.

Asia Cup 2023: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan | First inning

Pakistan and Fakhar Zaman did not have the best of starts as a late swinging yorker from Pramod Madushan cleaned the southpaw's stumps for Pakistan's first wicket. But, captain Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique made sure they steadied the ship for Pakistan. However, it was Young left-arm spinner Wellalage again who turned things for Sri Lanka.

Wellalage outfoxed Babar Azam to lose his balance on the front foot as he drew him forward. Kusal Mendis did the rest to whip the bails off as Babar went to the dressing room for 29. Abdullah Shafique then took Pakistan past the hundred mark but lost his wicket trying to pull a short ball from Matheesha Pathirana right after scoring his maiden fifty. Mohammad Haris soon departed to a slower ball from Pathirana again.

Riwan and Nawaz bailed out Pakistan from danger

After a drizzle again, the game was shortened to a 42-over game. Mohammed Nawaz, who was sent at number six, ahead of Iftikhar Ahmed, lost his wicket post the restart. But, after that, it was all about Mohhamed Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed's partnership. Their sixth-wicket partnership of 108 in 78 took Pakistan to 238 for 6 in 40.3 overs; which looked decent on that wicket. Rizwan's unbeaten 86 from 73 balls took them to 252/7 and DLS confirmed that the score would remain the same after the calculation.

Read Also: Jacques Kallis thinks Hardik Pandya and Ben Stokes can change the fate of their respective teams

Asia Cup 2023: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan | Second Inning

Just like Pakistan, Sri Lanka lost an early wicket at the start of their inning. A flash of brilliance in the field from Shadab Khan made sure Kusal Perera had the depart after a quick start of 17 from 8. Post that, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis took them to past fifty in eight overs. Pathum then was dismissed for 29 by Shabad Khan who was again sharp to grab a caught and bowled. The match hung in balance at 77/2 in 13.2 overs as Sadeera Samarawickrama joined Kusal Mendis in the middle.

Samarawickrama and Mendis's partnership took Sri Lanka close to the total

Both Samarawickrama and Mendis looked comfortable in the middle while Paksitani bowlers looked for wickets in the middle overs. Their partnership soon crossed the fifty mark as Kusal Mendis completed his third fifty of the Asia Cup 2023. But, their 100-run partnership from 98 balls came to an end when Iftikhar Ahmed dragged Sadeera Samarawickrama out for a stumping. Rizwan was quick there as Samarawickrama departed for 48 with Sri Lanka needing 73 from 72 balls.

Read Also: Jadeja becomes India's most successful Asia Cup bowler

Sri Lanka surely had the upper hand even after losing their third as Kusal Mendis looked solid against both pace and spin. Rizwan dropping Charith Asalanka on 10 helped them too. But, Mendis could not finish the job for Sri Lanka as he was dismissed in the nervous nineties (91 from 87 balls) again. Iftikhar Ahmed was the bowler again for Pakistan with the breakthrough. However, with 41 needing from 40 balls, it was surely Sri Lanka's game to lose.

Pakistan kept on fighting to reach the Asia Cup 2023 final

But, Pakistan kept on fighting as Iftikhar Ahmed again proved to be their main man with the ball. Iftikhar dismissed Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka for 2 while the required run rate went over seven for the first time in the game. With 28 needed from 24 balls, Babar brought his main man Shaheen Shah Afridi into the attack. Although he gave way 8 runs in that over, Afridi ensured he made a solid comeback in the penultimate over of the match.

Shaheen first got rid of Dhananjaya de Silva and then dismissed Dunith Wellalage in the next ball to give some hope to Pakistani fans. With 8 needed from the final over, Babar trusted debutant Zaman Khan to take them home. Zaman did well in the first four balls, giving away only two. But, on the fifth ball, Asalanka found a thick edge past the keeper for a four to leave it with 2 from last ball for the win. On the last ball, Zaman decided to bowl a slower ball on the pads and Charith Asalanka was calm enough to clip it towards deep square leg for the two runs they need to qualify for the Asia Cup final for the 11th time.

Hello and welcome back to another LIVE coverage from Sportz Point. Today, we will cover the most highly-anticipated match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group Stage; as the Indian Cricket Team will take on the eternal arch-rivals Pakistan Cricket Team at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The iconic India vs Pakistan face-off always offers memorable moments and epic cricketing dramas. India will come to this game after a convincing victory over Bangladesh in their opening group game. On the contrary, Pakistan faced a tough defeat against New Zealand in their opening match.

Read Also | Champions Trophy 2025: India vs Pakistan match preview

Another chapter of this storied rivalry is set to be written today and we are about to witness that! So just relax and enjoy the epic clash as Sportz Point provides you with all the real-time updates, team news, live scores, and match commentary of the epic India vs Pakistan match in the ICC CT '25.

This is Soumit Bhattacharya, with the build-up. Later on, Payal Debnath and Koushik Biswas will take over to bring you all the LIVE Updates from the web desk.

Moreover, you can follow us on Twitter for all the updates. Join our Telegram and WhatsApp channels to get all the news and scores.

The Indian cricket team will be aiming to continue their winning momentum when they lock horns with arch-rivals Pakistan in their second Group A match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, February 23.

India and Pakistan's matches have always been considered epic clashes in the ICC tournaments. In the last decade, the two teams have not faced much due to strained relations between the two countries.

Also Read: India vs Pakistan in ICC tournament results

Here is everything you need to know before the India vs Pakistan clash in Champions Trophy 2025. 

Match Details 

• Match: India vs Pakistan 
• Tournament: Champions Trophy 2025, 5th Match Group A
• Date: 23 February 2025
• Time: 2:30 PM IST
• Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

Streaming Details 

The live telecast of the India vs Pakistan match will be available on the Star Sports network in India.

The live streaming will be available on the JioHostar App and website in India.

India vs Pakistan: Head-to-head stats in Champions Trophy 

India have played Pakistan five times in ICC Champions Trophy. Pakistan won the first two before India drew level with two wins in the next two occasions.

Pakistan went 3-2 ahead with a win in their last encounter in 2017.

Pakistan are ahead in terms of overall ODI record as well, having won 73 games and losing 57 (NR: 5).

The arch-rivals last met in the 2023 World Cup as India claimed a massive seven-wicket win.

Meanwhile, the two teams have clashed twice in Dubai in ODIs. India prevailed on both occasions.

Read Also | India vs Pakistan head-to-head stats in ODI cricket: Who leads in ODI cricket?

Pitch Report: Dubai International Cricket Stadium 

The pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is expected to be slow.

The same was witnessed in India's opener against Bangladesh as the Tigers were bowled out for 228.

Rohit Sharma's men then comfortably chased down the target.

Team News: India

Under Rohit Sharma, India hopes to add another Champions Trophy title to their 2002 and 2013 victories.

The team dominated Bangladesh in their opening match and pulled off a win, courtesy of Shubman Gill's century and Moahmmed Shami's fifer.

Also Read: Virat Kohli stats in ICC Tournaments

Team News: Pakistan 

Meanwhile, Pakistan suffered a 60-run defeat against the Kiwis in the tournament opener.

Key players like Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi are expected to play crucial roles in Sunday's match against India.

However, Pakistan's opening batter, Fakhar Zaman, has been ruled out of the tournament with an injury.

Imam-ul-Haq has been approved by the ICC as the opener's replacement. The latter is expected to open alongside Babar Azam in the upcoming game.

Possible Lineups

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Harshit Rana.

Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.

Fantasy team prediction: India vs Pakistan 

KL Rahul, Mohammad Rizwan, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Salman Agha, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Cricket's biggest rivalry India vs Pakistan will take center stage when both the neighbours take on each other in Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai on Sunday. Before both teams go at each other to win the bragging rights, here are the India vs Pakistan head-to-head stats in ODI cricket. 

Although India have always dominated Pakistan in ICC events, Pakistan have dominated India in overall ODI cricket. From the 1980s and 1990s, Pakistan used to give a strong fight to India in ODI cricket. However, post the start of 2000, India have started getting back to their neighbour with more wins in this format. After the stoppage of bilateral cricket between the countries, they only face each other in ICC events. 

Read Also | Champions Trophy 2025: India vs Pakistan match preview | Head-to-head stats, Possible XI, match prediction, streaming details

India vs Pakistan Head-to-Head stats in ODI cricket

India and Pakistan have faced each other 135 times in ODI cricket so far. India have won 57 times while Pakistan have emerged victorious 73 times. 5 matches have finished without any results.

India vs Pakistan head-to-head stats in ICC ODI events

Till now in ICC ODI events in men's cricket India and Pakistan have faced each other 13 times. India have dominated 10 times while Pakistan have won three times. 

India have never lost to Pakistan in ICC ODI Cricket World Cups. This means all of those three defeats have come in ICC Champions Trophy only. 

Read Also | India vs Pakistan in ICC tournament results

India vs Pakistan head-to-head stats in Champions Trophy

Pakistan have dominated India in the Champions Trophy so far. In the five matches they have played against each other in the Champions Trophy, Pakistan have won thrice while India won twice.

Centuries from Tom Latham and Will Young helped New Zealand get an easy 60-run win over Pakistan in the opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. New Zealand posted 320 in the first inning while Pakistan were bundled out for 260 during the chase. Here are the highlights of the Pakistan vs New Zealand Champions Trophy 2025 match.

Pakistan won the toss, and Rauf made a return to the team

Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and decided to bowl first, citing the dew factor. Haris Rauf was back in the team after sustaining an injury in the tri-series. for New Zealand, Rachin Ravindra was not fit enough to feature in this match. Will Young replaced him in the playing 11 while Nathan Smith was given a chance to hit the hard lengths with the ball.

Fakhar got injured early

Pakistan suffered an early setback as Fakhar Zaman got injured while chasing a cover drive from Will Young. Kamran Ghulam replaced him right away. 

Pakistan struck with quick three wickets

Just when everything was going well for New Zealand, Abrar Ahmed gave Pakistan the breakthrough they were looking for. Abrar got rid of Devon Conway with a ripper in his second over. The ball pitched on middle and leg stump and opened up Conway to get the ott stump. 

In the next over in a rare failure, Kane Williamson departed for one. This time it was Naseem Shah, who opened up Williamson with a brilliant delivery that came in and left enough to kiss the outside edge of the former Kiwi captain.

Read Also | India vs Pakistan in ICC tournament results

Haris Rauf then hit the hard length to induce a pull shot from Daryl Mitchell who went after adding 10 off 24 and New Zealand looked in trouble at 73/3 after 16.2 overs. 

But, Will Young made sure he grabbed this opportunity to score big alongside Tom Latham to bail out New Zealand. Young scored his first ton in Pakistan in 107 balls, which also was his first away international hundred. In the next over, Tom Latham also reached his fifty from 61 balls, to set up a platform to hit the fifth gear. 

But, as Young looked to shift up the gears, he was caught in the deep square leg by substitute fielder Ashraf off Naseem Shah on 107. At 191/4 in 38 overs, it was perfect timing for someone like Glenn Philips to come in for New Zealand.

Latham hit his first ODI ton since Nov. 2022

Latham started changing the tempo as well as he hit 14 off the last four balls from Abrar to spoil his spell. Abrar finished with 47/1 in his 10 overs. He southpaw batter then hit his first ODI ton since November 2022. He reached the landmark in 95 balls to become the fifth Kiwi batter to hit a ton in the Champions Trophy. 

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 📑

Today, Will Young and Tom Latham became only the 4th and 5th New Zealand 🇳🇿 batters respectively to score a Champions Trophy ton! 💯#ChampionsTrophy2025 #PAKvsNZ pic.twitter.com/fzaiss364c

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) February 19, 2025

Glenn Philips hits a devastating 61 from 39 balls

Pakistan were forced to have only four fielders outside the ring in the last overs, as opposed to the normal five after being penalised for the slow over rate. Glenn Philips and Latham took advantage of that to reach 320 in the first inning. Latham remained unbeaten on 118 from 104 while Philips was dismissed in the third last ball of the inning after a devastating 61 off 39 balls. 

New Zealand scored 113 from the last ten overs to challenge Pakistan with a total which looked impossible at first.

Horrible start for Pakistan with the bat

Pakistan started horribly after losing two early wickets. Will O’Rourke showed patience to dismiss Saud Shakeel on 6 from 19 in the fourth over. Glenn Philips then pulled off a stunner at backward point to get Pakistan’s second after a fighting 3 from 14 from captain Mohammad Rizwan. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fakhar Zaman, who could not bat at his favourite opening position due to staying off-field, tried his best with pain and suffering. Zaman fought hard to score 24 but off 41 balls. 

Though Babar took his time from the start, Salman Agha assessed the situation well to hit some boundaries to increase the run rate. Meantime, Babar completed his fifty in 81 balls while Agha got dismissed with a short ba by Nathan Smith after playing a brisk 42 off 28 balls. 

Tayyab Tahir (1) came in and was deceived by Mitchell Santner soon. With the asking rate creeping up, Khushdil Shah started smacking the Kiwi spinners and taking the game to them. 

Babar tried to do the same but only managed to get a top edge against Santner while trying a sweep after a slow 90-ball 64. 

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐳𝐚𝐦'𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠? 🤔

Babar Azam scored a 90-ball 64 in a game where Pakistan are chasing 321.

The Pakistani opener had a strike-rate of 71.11! #PakvsNz #BabarAzam #PakistanCricket #ChampionsTrophy2025 #ChampionsTrophy pic.twitter.com/7JUYdNknuJ

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) February 19, 2025

Fightback from Khushil Shah

Khushdil completed his fifty in 38 balls but kept losing partners from the other end. After he was dismissed in the 44th over after a fighting 69 from 49 balls, Pakistan were nearly out of the game.

Pakistani tail tried to swing their bats but was finally all-out for 260 and lost the game by 60 runs. With this win, New Zealand achieved a +1.200 NRR, which can be very essential in a tournament like this.

Santner and O’Rourke returned with three wickets for New Zealand. 

Tom Latham was adjudged player of the match for his century.

Match Summary

𝐍𝐙 🇳🇿 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 🇵🇰

Pakistan were bundled out for 260 while chasing 321 in the second inning. #PakvsNz #ChampionsTrophy2025 pic.twitter.com/p4B45lMBvh

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) February 19, 2025

Pakistan will be hosting an ICC event for the first time since 1996 and they will face a strong New Zealand in the opening game of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. From head-to-head stats, possible lineups and fantasy team predictions, get everything on the Pakistan vs New Zealand Champions Trophy 2024-25 match on our match preview.

Match Details

Match:  Pakistan vs New Zealand

Tournament: ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Match No. 1

Date: 19 February 2025

Time: 2.30 pm IST

Venue: National Stadium, Karachi

How to watch the match?

Cricket fans from India can watch the opening game of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 live on Star Sports TV Channel in multiple languages. Moreover, they can stream the match live on JioHotstar App and Website with a paid subscription.

Pakistan vs New Zealand Head-to-head in ODIs

Pakistan and New Zealand have faced each other 118 times in One-day international games. Pakistan have won in 63 while New Zealand have emerged victorious on 53 occasions. Three games saw no results.

Pitch Report: National Stadium, Karachi

Talking about the pitch at the National Stadium in Karachi, we can certainly guarantee you that there will be runs on offer for the batters. The bowlers, especially the fast bowlers will have to be dead accurate on most occasions to take wickets or be safe.

In the recent tri-series, South Africa posted 352 but Pakistan chased it down with Mohammed Rizwan scoring a ton.

The spinners, on the other hand, have gone for fewer runs of 5.11 runs per over but have taken less wickets as well.

So, we can guess there will be a huge task for the bowlers to get it right at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Team News and Recent Form: Pakistan

The hosts Pakistan are coming off a tri-series against the South African and New Zealand teams, where they lost in the final against the Kiwis in Karachi. The form of their star batter Babar Azam would worry them a bit but Pakistan have always found their ways to do better in ICC events.

In the last two games between these two sides in an ICC event, Pakistan have defeated New Zealand two out of two times.

In the last five ODIs, Pakistan have won three and lost twice. So, you can not say that they are in great form as well.

However, they will be boosted with the presence of fast bowler Haris Rauf, who did not take any part in the tri-series after getting a side strain in the opening game against New Zealand. He was seen bowling in the nets and as per captain Mohammad Rizwan, he would be fit to feature in the opening game. 

Read Also | India vs Pakistan in ICC tournament results

Team News and Recent Form: New Zealand

No team had played more ODI games in Pakistan than New Zealand since the start of 2019. Not only that just five days before the start of ICC Champions Trophy 2025, they defeated Pakistan in the final to lift the series as well which was played which was played in Karachi.

The combination of Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell has been solid for New Zealand in the middle overs. Both spinners have found a way to keep the run flow intact and also take wickets given the opportunities. Moreover, they both can bat as well, which is always an added advantage.

However, the Kiwis will be without their premier fast bowlers Lockie Ferguson and Ben Sears along with uncertainty hovering over Rachin Ravindra's presence after getting hit in the eye in the tri-series.

Will Young might open with Devon Conway if Ravindra is not fit enough to play. Kyle Jamieson, the replacement of Lockei Ferguson will also not be available as he is yet to reach Karachi for the match. 

Read Also | Champions Trophy 2025: Squads of every team

Possible Lineups

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (capt & wk), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.

New Zealand: Rachin Ravindra/Will Young, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (capt), Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Will O'Rourke.

Fantasy team prediction: Pakistan vs New Zealand

Fakhar Zaman, Devon Conway, Babar Azam, Kane Williamson, Mohammad Rizwan, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf.