At Karachi’s National Stadium, Pakistan’s 2025 ICC Champions Trophy campaign was ruined in the opening match against New Zealand, as they lost by a score of 60 runs. After setting a lofty goal of 321 points, the green jerseys were unable to reach even 260, disappointing and perplexing the fans.
Batting sensations Tom Latham and Will Young contributed hundreds to New Zealand’s start. Glenn Phillips scored an explosive 61 runs off just 39 balls, leaving Pakistan’s bowlers unable to control the momentum of the innings. Despite brief bursts of brilliance from bowlers Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, the game-changing event was the team’s 300-run loss.
Pakistan struggled mightily with their batting. Many were angry with Babar Azam, the team’s rock, because of how slowly he bowled. After facing 90 balls, he scored 64 runs, which was deemed too sluggish for a high-stakes chase by both fans and commentators. The 152 dot balls that punctured the team’s collective striking rotation demonstrated their difficulty in gaining momentum.
The level of criticism directed on Babar soared after Ravichandran Ashwin, utilizing social media, drew a comparison between his innings and the legendary “tortoise” from the timeless story “The Tortoise and the Hare.” This was the feeling of many fans, who saw Babar’s behavior as selfish and hurting the team’s prospects.
Some fans were so angry that they referred to the match as a “criminal outing”; others turned to memes and scathing remarks as a means of coping with the defeat. Given Babar’s influence on the game, one social media critic joked that he should have been “playing for New Zealand” instead.
There were glimmers of optimism amid the general disillusionment. An explosive cameo from Khushdil Shah—69 runs off 49 balls—injected much-needed ferocity into the chase. But he couldn’t save Pakistan from their dire situation on his own.
Babar Azam’s leadership, batting order, and team strategy have all come under scrutiny following the loss to New Zealand. Pakistan must quickly restore their momentum to maintain their tournament aspirations before their upcoming match against India. At this stage, it is up to the green shirts to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.
