Latham Ends Century Drought in Champions Trophy Opener
New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Latham finally broke his century drought in the Champions Trophy opener, following in the footsteps of Will Young.
Latham reached 99 with a four off Shaheen Shah Afridi. On the next ball, he calmly nudged it to long-on and sprinted for a single, breathing a sigh of relief as he reached the much-anticipated milestone. After a long wait, he finally tasted another international century.
Playing against Pakistan in Karachi on Wednesday, Latham remained unbeaten on 118 runs. His 104-ball knock featured 10 fours and 3 sixes.
This was Latham’s 21st international century, with his last one dating back to December 2022—coincidentally, also in Karachi against Pakistan. Back then, he scored 113 in the first Test of the series.
The left-hander had endured a lengthy wait of 784 days and 79 innings before finally breaking his century drought.
With this century, Latham became only the third wicketkeeper-batsman to score a hundred in the Champions Trophy. Andy Flower had scored 145 against India in the 2002 edition, while Kumar Sangakkara smashed an unbeaten 134 against England in 2013.
Latham’s start to 2024 in ODIs was nothing short of a nightmare. After scoring just 1 run against Sri Lanka in January, he registered three consecutive ducks, making him part of an unwanted record for the second-most consecutive ducks in ODIs.
However, he bounced back in the Tri-Series final, scoring 56 runs as New Zealand clinched the title against Pakistan. He then managed only 15 in a warm-up match against Afghanistan but made a strong statement in his first game of this global tournament.
This century marked Latham’s eighth in ODIs. His previous hundred in this format came in November 2022, an unbeaten 145 against India.
Earlier in the match, Will Young had also notched a century, scoring 107 off 1 six and 12 fours. This was only the fifth time in Champions Trophy history that two centuries were scored in the same innings. The last instance was in the previous edition when Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah powered Bangladesh to a memorable victory over New Zealand.
Latham arrived at the crease when New Zealand was struggling at 73/3. He steadied the innings alongside Young, forging a crucial 118-run partnership.
While Young departed after reaching his century, Latham carried on, accelerating after reaching his fifty off 61 balls. His next 50 runs came in just 34 balls, reaching his hundred in 95 deliveries.
Towards the end, Glenn Phillips provided the finishing touches with an explosive 61 off 39 balls, including 4 sixes and 3 fours. New Zealand posted a formidable total of 320/5.
