Bracewell Looks Ahead To Champions Trophy 2025 In Pakistan

New Zealand Captain Michael Bracewell said on Wednesday that he was completely satisfied with the security and hospitality on the tour and looked forward to playing the Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Apr, 2024) New Zealand Captain Michael Bracewell said on Wednesday that he was completely satisfied with the security and hospitality on the tour and looked forward to playing the Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan.

“The experience gained by playing on these Pakistani surfaces during the past 10-15 matches played over the past few months will serve us in good stead during the upcoming Champions Trophy in Pakistan,” he said responding to question at a press conference prior to the fourth match of the T20I series against Pakistan on Thursday.

The five-match T20I series between Pakistan and New Zealand is currently tied 1-1 with one match abandoned due to rain in Rawalpindi.

New Zealand Captain Bracewell further said the had thoroughly enjoyed stay in Pakistan and they were satisfied with the arrangement put in place by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and looked forward to playing on these surfaces in February next. “The experienced gained from these games will be vital going into the next year’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan,” he added.

On the performance of the young side, the all-rounder believed the Black Caps had an exciting opportunity for three debutants to perform during the tour, adding that the tour was part of the plans of the New Zealand Cricket to provide experience of playing on all kind of surfaces.

On claiming Babar Azam’s wicket for the fifth time in his career, he said Babar Azam was a quality player and he was happy whenever he got the better of a senior player like Babar.

Bracewell said, "We learnt from our loss against Pakistan in the second game as a batting unit and adjusted our game to conditions. We put pressure on the Pakistan team during the last game in Rawalpindi."

On series win against Pakistan in their own backyard with a young team, Bracewell said “We are under no illusion that the last two games at the Gaddafi stadium are going to be easy. We will keep focus on making adjustments and not resting on laurels of winning the last game.”

He hailed Mark Chapman for the match-winning innings against Pakistan in the last T20I and hoped he would continue to entertain the spectators with such innings.

Bracewell said his bowlers had learnt from the skills of Shaheen Shah Afridi who made a difference with his bowling in the first over of the match and the other players how they used their home.

The New Zealand skipper said his team missed the likes of Kane Williamson and Trent Boult but added that their absences provided an opportunity to play and learn against world-class players in different conditions as well. “The young team is learning how to play and compete in this different part of the world,” the Black Caps skipper humbly assessed.