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Will Young credits partnerships in Kiwi’s win against Pakistan in the opening Champions Trophy game in Karachi.
Will Young credits partnerships in New Zealand’s powerful batting performance in the Champions Trophy 2025 opener.
The New Zealand innings included two hundred-run partnerships, with Glenn Phillips making a quick half-century and Young and Latham hitting hundreds to propel the team to 320/5. Salman Agha and Babar Azam’s 58-run partnership was Pakistan’s highest as New Zealand continued to chip away and won handily.
New Zealand lost Devon Conway and Kane Williamson in short succession after being called to bat, which put them in early danger. They fell to 40/2 and then 73/3. Young and Latham’s vital 118-run fourth-wicket partnership, however, gave them stability again. They continued to build on that comeback, concluding their innings with a scorching 125-run partnership between Latham and Phillips off only 74 balls.
“One thing our batting unit talked about is creating partnerships throughout our innings, and it was only a small partnership with Dev [Devon] but we got the ball rolling, and unfortunately we lost Kane early and Daryl [Mitchell] not long after that. So Tommy and I talked about building a partnership and just felt like Pakistan got 3-4 dot balls and we managed to get a boundary not long after and it just kept the momentum of the innings going. And then I think we got to where we wanted to after 30 overs and I felt with Tommy – we both felt that the game was in the balance at that point, 140 odd for 3 after 30 overs,” said Young at the post-match press conference.
“To be completely honest with you, Tommy and I knew we were in a little bit of trouble three down. We didn’t want to look too far ahead and start talking past scores and things like that. We wanted to get to 30 overs, three down. That was our first goal,” said Young at the post-match press conference. “Then the next phase was to the 35th over and then I got out after that. But when I came off, I think I got out in the 38th over, I was saying to the boys I thought 280 was a really good total.
“If the seamers hit a good length, it was difficult. The odd ball was going down. We saw from the Pakistan spinners as well that when they slowed the ball up, especially, it would hold in the surface and there was a bit of turn there. And when they fired it through a little bit quicker, it was skiddy. So, it wasn’t easy. And I thought 280 was a good score. And obviously, the way GP [Glenn Phillips] and Tommy got things going, it was just brilliant the way that they finished off the innings. And to get to 320, we all felt that we were slightly ahead of the game at that point. But in the same breath, as you say, Pakistan chased down 350 on the same wicket. So, we knew we had to start well, and thankfully we did that and managed to keep it going,” said Will Young credits to Latham and Phillips.