February 24, 2025 In a major setback for Pakistan cricket, the team has been officially eliminated from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 following New Zealand’s victory over Bangladesh by five wickets with 23 balls to spare. This result confirms that India and New Zealand will advance to the semi-finals from Group A, leaving no chance for Pakistan to progress further in the tournament.

Pakistan, which is also a host nation for this edition of the Champions Trophy, had already suffered two consecutive defeats in the group stage. The team lost its opening match against Bangladesh, followed by a disappointing loss to arch-rivals India. Despite these setbacks, Pakistani fans held onto a slim hope that if Bangladesh had managed to defeat New Zealand and India later overcame the Kiwis, Pakistan could still qualify by securing a big-margin victory over Bangladesh. In such a scenario, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Bangladesh would have been tied on wins, potentially allowing Pakistan to advance based on net run rate.

However, New Zealand’s triumph over Bangladesh has now removed any such possibility. With two wins each, India and New Zealand have secured their spots in the semi-finals. The only remaining question is which team will top the group, a decision that will be determined on March 2, 2025, when India faces New Zealand in a high-stakes encounter.

For Pakistan, the only remaining objective is to salvage some pride by winning their last group match against Bangladesh on February 27, 2025. A victory in this game would allow them to exit the tournament on a positive note, despite their overall disappointing campaign.

Cricket fans around the world now eagerly await the upcoming clash between India and New Zealand, which will set the stage for the semi-final matchups in this highly competitive tournament.