Champions Trophy: New Zealand's Victory Ends Pakistan’s Semifinal Hopes

New Zealand secured a decisive five-wicket victory against Bangladesh in the ICC Champions Trophy today, sealing their spot in the semifinals. Winning the toss, New Zealand opted to bowl first, restricting Bangladesh to 236/9 in the allotted 50 overs.

Chasing a target of 237, New Zealand reached 240/5 in 46.1 overs, thanks to a stellar century by Rachin Ravindra. Ravindra was the standout performer, scoring 112 runs off 105 balls, including 12 fours and one six. Tom Latham contributed 55 runs, while Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips added 30 and 21* runs, respectively.

For Bangladesh, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Mustafizur Rahman, and Rishad Hossain took one wicket each.

With this victory, both India and New Zealand have secured their semifinal berths from Group A. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s hopes of progressing in the tournament have ended, as they have suffered two consecutive defeats in the group stage. Even if Pakistan wins its upcoming match against Bangladesh on February 27, it will not be enough to qualify.

New Zealand currently leads the points table due to a superior net run rate, followed by India in second place. The two teams will face each other on March 2.