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Will Young and Tom Latham joined an exclusive New Zealand club with their blistering centuries against the defending champions, Pakistan, in the Champions Trophy tournament opener on Wednesday in Karachi.
Young and Latham turned the opening clash into a run-scoring fest on a dry strip filled with plenty of cracks. Both players went on to hit the three-digit figures as New Zealand breezed past the 300-run mark. Following their rollicking centuries, Young and Latham became just the fourth and fifth players to tonk a ton for New Zealand in the Champions Trophy. Former Blackcaps star Nathan Astle was the first player to hammer a century in the Champions Trophy for New Zealand. With his swashbuckling display, Astle slammed an unbeaten 145 against the USA in 2004. Chris Cairns became the second player for the Kiwis to achieve the feat. He fired an unbeaten 102 against India in the 2000 Nairobi final. New Zealand's modern-day great Kane Williamson was the third to enter the club with his 100 against Australia in Edgbaston in 2017. Young's time at the crease ended with a score of 107(113). On the other hand, Latham stayed unbeaten on 118 from 104 deliveries, laced with a whopping ten fours and three towering sixes. When New Zealand dwindled to 73/3 after Daryl Mitchell's dismissal, Latham and Young ensured they saw through the middle overs unscathed. The duo raised a 118-run stand for the fourth wicket, to lay the foundation for the fireworks in the final 10 overs of the first innings. In the 38th over, Young tried to pull the ball away but skewed it to Faheem Ashraf at the deep square. Latham then joined hands with Glenn Phillips to unleash a scathing attack on the hosts with their fiery strokeplay. With their brisk 125-run partnership, New Zealand finished their turn with a daunting total of 320/5. (ANI)
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