The Impressive TimesNew Delhi : India and New Zealand have become the first two teams to qualify for the semifinals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. New Zealand secured their spot after defeating Bangladesh by five wickets in their second match of the tournament at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday.
Chasing a target of 237, the Kiwis faced early pressure as they lost two wickets quickly. However, Rachin Ravindra anchored the innings with a brilliant knock of 112 runs from 105 balls, marking his fourth century in ICC ODI events. Ravindra’s innings provided a solid foundation, ensuring New Zealand comfortably chased down the target with five wickets in hand and 11.4 overs to spare.
Bangladesh, after being put into bat, struggled to build momentum. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto top-scored with 77 runs, supported by late contributions from Jaker Ali and Rishad Hossain. Despite their efforts, the Bangla Tigers could only manage 236 runs before being bowled out.
With this win, New Zealand now has two victories in as many matches, matching India’s record in the tournament. The Men in Blue, led by Rohit Sharma, had earlier defeated Bangladesh by six wickets and then secured another comfortable win against Pakistan. Both teams have secured their spots in the semifinals with a game to spare.
The result also confirms the elimination of hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh from the tournament. Pakistan, led by Mohammad Rizwan, suffered consecutive defeats in their opening matches. They fell short by 60 runs against New Zealand in the tournament opener, failing to chase 321 runs. In their second match, Pakistan was outclassed by India, who chased down a target of 242 with six wickets and 45 balls to spare.
Bangladesh faced a similar fate, losing both their matches against India and New Zealand. Against India, they set a modest target of 229, which was chased down comfortably with six wickets in hand. Their hopes of progressing were dashed following the defeat against New Zealand.
With two semifinal spots now taken by India and New Zealand, the focus shifts to the remaining teams vying for the last two spots.
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