New Zealand’s star batter Kane Williamson’s remarkable six-year streak of avoiding single-digit scores in ODIs came to an end during the ICC Champions Trophy opener against Pakistan on Wednesday (Feb 19).

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Coming in to bat with New Zealand at 39/1, Williamson’s stay at the crease turned out to be brief. He managed just one run off two balls before edging a delivery from Naseem Shah to wicketkeeper and Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan.

Also Read: Champions Trophy, PAK vs NZ: Naseem Shah bowls 'dream delivery' to dismiss Kane Williamson | WATCH

This was Williamson’s first single-digit score in ODIs since January 5, 2019, when he scored just one run off nine balls against Sri Lanka. In the 38 matches and 36 innings between these two low scores, Williamson amassed 1,775 runs at an impressive average of 61.20, with three centuries and 12 half-centuries. His stellar run included a ‘Player of the Tournament’ performance in the 2019 Cricket World Cup, where he scored 578 runs in nine innings at an average of 82.57, with two hundreds and two fifties, including a best score of 148.

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Injury scare for Fakhar Zaman?

Earlier in the match, Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman suffered an injury scare during the opening match of the Champions Trophy 2025 against New Zealand on Feb 19 in Karachi. The destructive batter is currently being checked for a muscular sprain.

Zaman suffered the scare on a shot by Will Young, who drove Shaheen Afridi through the covers. Zaman, while trying to stop the ball, seemed to have hurt his left side rib area and was forced off the field two balls into the match.

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"Fakhar Zaman is being assessed and examined for a muscular sprain, and further updates will be provided in due course," said the PCB in a statement.

(With inputs from agencies)