Barbados, April 2025: The T20 World Cup 2025 opened with a major jolt for the defending champions as Pakistan slumped to a disappointing defeat against New Zealand in their Group A clash. Despite promising moments, familiar problems resurfaced for Babar Azam’s men: loose bowling at the death and an underwhelming batting response under pressure.

New Zealand’s Batting: Steady Start, Explosive Finish

After electing to bat first, New Zealand posted a strong total of 320+ on the back of a crucial middle-order partnership between Tom Latham (Player of the Match) and Will Young. The platform set allowed Glenn Phillips to launch a late onslaught, pushing the total well beyond the par 260 the Kiwis had initially aimed for.

“We were targeting around 260, but GP came out and smashed it around. Understanding conditions and doing the hard yards helped us today,” said Mitch Santner post-match.

Pakistan’s Response: Falters in Powerplay and Death

Pakistan’s chase was derailed early. The top order, including captain Rohit Sharma—wait, strike that—Rizwan and Co., fell cheaply, with only scattered resistance through the middle overs. Rizwan admitted they misread conditions and miscalculated the chase after losing momentum in the powerplay and the death overs.

“We made the same mistakes as in Lahore. Lost momentum twice – once at the death while bowling and again early in our batting,” he reflected. The extent of Fakhar Zaman’s injury remains uncertain, adding to Pakistan’s concerns moving forward.

New Zealand’s Bowling: Clinical Execution

Led by early pressure and capitalizing on the lack of dew, New Zealand’s bowlers tightened the screws through the middle overs and never allowed Pakistan to settle. “We kept the run-rate pressure on and got key wickets. The Phillips catch changed the momentum,” Santner added.

Player of the Match: Tom Latham

With a calm and composed knock, Latham anchored the Kiwi innings and steered it into an explosive back end. “Felt good to contribute. It was about building a base with Will Young, and then GP gave us the momentum,” said Latham.

What’s Next for Pakistan?

With questions mounting over team combinations, death bowling woes, and top-order instability, some are calling for more than just “cosmetic changes.” Whether it’s time for the so-called “open heart surgery” in Pakistan cricket remains to be seen.

For now, it’s a wake-up call for the defending champs as they regroup for their next Group A encounter.

Match Summary:

• New Zealand: 320+ (Latham, Young, Phillips fire)
• Pakistan: All out short of the target (early collapse, no major stand)
• Result: New Zealand won by a comfortable margin

Next Fixtures: Pakistan vs [TBD], New Zealand vs [TBD]

Tags: T20 World Cup 2025, Pakistan Cricket, New Zealand Cricket, Tom Latham, Rizwan, Glenn Phillips, Fakhar Zaman Injury