Mohammad Rizwan conceded Pakistan "made a mistake" by putting New Zealand in to bat first, during their defeat in the Champions Trophy opener. (Full Coverage | More Cricket News)
🍨The reigning champions – and tournament co-hosts – won the toss, before skipper Rizwan elected to bowl first.
🔯That decision proved a poor one as New Zealand recovered from a slow start, with Will Young (107) and Tom Latham (118 not out) both notching centuries along the way.
ꦛGlenn Phillips later added 61 for the Black Caps, who finished at 320-5, with Pakistan subsequently bowled out for 260 with just under three overs remaining.
♏"They put a good target on the board – we didn't expect 320 like that," Rizwan said.
♛"The partnerships were crucial, and we tried our best, but they played very smartly, and they put a good target on the board.
﷽"We saw the conditions of the pitch. If you look earlier on at the pitch, it wasn't easy to bat on. We expect 250 is good on that pitch, but we made a mistake.
🍸"Every match is important for us. If you look at us being defending champions, that's extra pressure on us. The next match is like a normal match."
✅Fresh from a series whitewash of Sri Lanka in January, New Zealand built on that momentum to draw first blood in Group A, and new white-ball skipper Mitchell Santner saluted his "outstanding" side.
൩"The way we went about it with the bat was pleasing," he said.
🌃"Pakistan bowled well, even through the middle stages, but the way we rotated the strike and got the odd boundary, and gave us a really good platform, before Glenn Phillips did his thing at the back end.
✤"We wanted 260 to 280, but it shows if you get in and build partnerships, you can attack the last 10 overs with wickets in hand. After the score they got in the first 10 overs with the ball, we were outstanding.
𒐪"The way our two big boys were able to smash a length and restrict them to 20 off the powerplay meant we could squeeze them through the middle. That meant we could build that run-rate pressure then chip at wickets."
𓆉Player of the match Latham added: "I think when I came in, it was just about building a partnership with Will Young.
ജ"He played fantastically well and the longer we batted together, we went through the gears and increased the run-rate. With these types of surfaces and boundaries, you can make hay at the back end.
♔"Glenn Phillips played an exceptional hand and continued the momentum, and the score we got was well above par. I was hoping he would hit the boundary a bit more, but that's the nature of batting at the back end."
