Pakistan, Feb. 20 -- Pakistan's President Asif Zardari joined thousands of fans at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday for the start of the Champions Trophy, the first international cricket tournament to be hosted in the country for three decades.

The eight-nation event, which was launched with Pakistan's Air Force flying over the stadium to mark the occasion, marks the end of Pakistan's exile in terms of international tournaments and opened with Pakistan, the defending champions, taking on New Zealand.

Pakistan failed to chase the 321 target set by New Zealand in the opening match of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy tournament at the National Stadium in Karachi. The Green Shirts ended their rollercoaste...