Former England skipper Nasser Hussain believes New Zealand’s first innings score of 251/7 in the 2025 Champions Trophy final is ‘not enough’ to prevent India from winning the trophy for the third time.
India’s spinners dominated on a slow surface with only two degrees of turn, preventing New Zealand batters from scoring big in the most of the innings. The Black Caps started brightly before losing their first five wickets to Indian spinners. It needed half-centuries from Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell to get the Kiwis to a respectable total.
“I don’t think it’s enough, but New Zealand needed Bracewell’s fifty in 39 deliveries.” If he hadn’t played the way he did, a score of 220-230 would never have been enough. This is a rather excellent surface. But they made it past 250 thanks to that innings, and they now have a chance to play in the final. “Over to you, India,” the former England captain told Sky Sports.
Mitchell scored the slowest half-century of his ODI career, reaching the milestone in 91 deliveries, while Bracewell’s quickfire fifty helped the Mitchell Santner-led side reach the 250-run mark.
The story remained the same for India, as their spin foursome plagued the Kiwi hitters, resulting in an 81-ball boundary drought. The spinners took five wickets and conceded just 144 runs in 38 overs. Former England cricketer Michael Atherton believed India followed the formula they had established thus far in the tournament.
“This has been the tournament’s story. Overall, India has struggled with their spinners in the first half of a game before holding their nerve when chasing in the second. So far, it’s following that template. “I believe New Zealand went 81 balls without a boundary in the middle of the innings,” Atherton added.
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