By Shubhangi Chauhan
New Zealand defeated Bangladesh by five wickets to reach the Champions Trophy semifinals as they played in Rawalpindi on Monday, 24, 2025. India obtained their semifinal spot in the tournament, when New Zealand’s victory eliminated both Pakistan and Bangladesh from competition.
New Zealand entered a challenging situation at 15 for 2, when Taskin Ahmed eliminated Will Young for no score, then Nahid Rana removed Kane Williamson for 5. The magnificent batting performance from Rachin Ravindra led New Zealand through the chase by scoring 112 runs off 105 balls with twelve fours combined with one six. Rachin Ravindra combined forces with Tom Latham (55 off 76) to build a vital partnership that brought New Zealand their victory in 46.1 overs.
New Zealand maintained strict bowling control to stop Bangladesh from reaching more than 236 runs during their innings. Off-spinner Michael Bracewell secured four wickets while giving away just 26 runs in his 10-over spell. The Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto scored 77 runs from 110 balls followed by Jaker Ali’s 45 runs contribution. Poor ball placement during 178 pauses along with faulty batting choices and delayed runs from the middle-order players limited Bangladesh’s progress during their inning.
After a stable opening batting, Bangladesh lost control when their batsmen began falling one after another. Bracewell first removed Tanzid Hasan who scored 24 runs and then dismissed Mushfiqur Rahim with 2 runs along with Mahmudullah due to their reckless batting choices. New Zealand’s William O’Rourke ended up claiming two wickets while Shanto became his second victim to seriously damage Bangladesh’s situation during the match.
The batting performance of New Zealand shifted to Ravindra after Mustafizur Rahman removed Conway for 30 runs. The premiership became more manageable under lamp conditions yet Bangladesh did not exploit their initial success sufficiently. Ravindra provided New Zealand with composure through his batting performance as they achieved the run chase with ease.
New Zealand and India moved into the semifinals while keeping their Group A streak of no losses intact. During the tournament, Pakistan as the event host since 1996, experienced disappointing elimination together with Bangladesh. The clinical performance of New Zealand displayed their increasing power which showed they were prepared for future difficult challenges.