Champions Trophy: New Zealand's Latham, Young shine in win over Pakistan by 60 runs

New Zealand beat Pakistan by 60 runs in the opening match of the Champions Trophy on Wednesday, thanks to brilliant hundreds from Tom Latham and Will Young.

The defeat spoiled Pakistan's historic return to hosting global cricket events after three decades. President Asif Ali Zardari, along with thousands of fans, attended the match at the Karachi stadium, marking Pakistan's first International Cricket Council (ICC) event since 1996.

New Zealand posted 320-5 in 50 overs, with Young scoring 107 from 113 balls and Latham making an unbeaten 118 from 104 balls.

Their efforts rescued New Zealand from a shaky start at 73-3, with a crucial 118-run fourth-wicket partnership. Glenn Phillips added an aggressive 39-ball 61 to boost the total further.

Pakistan, in response, were dismissed for 260 in 47.2 overs. Despite a valiant 69 off 49 balls from Khushdil Shah, and 64 from Babar Azam, Pakistan never looked likely to reach the target.

Pakistan's defeat was compounded by the injury to Fakhar Zaman, who was unavailable to open the innings due to a chest muscle injury. "Losing Fakhar Zaman was crucial," said Mohammad Rizwan, who bemoaned the team's inability to chase down the target. 

Will O'Rourke and Mitchell Santner were the standout bowlers for New Zealand, with O'Rourke taking 3-47 and Santner 3-66. Santner praised his team's fielding efforts, especially a brilliant catch by Phillips to dismiss Mohammad Rizwan early in Pakistan’s chase.

The match was the first of an eight-nation tournament, with the event taking place across three Pakistani cities, though some matches will be held in Dubai to accommodate India, who refuse to play in Pakistan. India's first match is against Bangladesh on Thursday.

Pakistan's defeat leaves them in a difficult position in Group A, where they now face arch-rivals India in Dubai on Sunday and Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on February 27.

Australia, England, Afghanistan, and South Africa are in Group B, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the semi-finals.