Defending champions England take on New Zealand in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup opener

The first match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will be played between the defending champions, England and last edition’s finalists, New Zealand, on October 5 at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

ODI performance of England and New Zealand in 2023

The two teams have had a mixed run in 2023. While England played 12 ODIs, registering seven wins, New Zealand played 20, accounting for eight victories. Head–to-head, these two teams met on four occasions, with England getting the better of New Zealand on three instances.

In the batting department, Dawid Malan (591 runs) and Jos Buttler (548 runs) of England have scored at an average of 74 and 61, respectively, this year. For New Zealand, Daryl Mitchell (652 runs), Will Young (578 runs), and Devon Conway (449 runs) have been among the prolific run-getters averaging 43, 44, and 50, respectively.

Among the bowlers, leg spinner Adil Rashid has been the most successful bowler for England with 15 wickets in seven outings, while for the Kiwis, speedster Matt Henry has had a good year with 14 wickets in 10 ODIs.

England and New Zealand at the World Cups

England have played 83 World Cup matches between 1975 and 2019. Of the 83 matches, England have won 48 and thus have a success rate of 58%. On the other hand, New Zealand played 89 games, winning 54, and thus have a success rate of 61%. Head-to-head, these two teams have met 10 times, producing fierce contests. Of the 10 matches, New Zealand have won five, England have won four, and one fixture ended in a tie.

England and New Zealand in warm-up matches before the start of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023

England could only feature in one warm-up match since the game against India was washed out. It handed a four-wicket defeat (DLS method) to Bangladesh. Unlike England, New Zealand were fortunate to get enough game time. They won both their warm-up matches by beating Pakistan by five wickets and then defeating South Africa by seven runs (DLS method).

England v New Zealand: Squads, playing conditions, and players to watch out for

Squads

England: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.

Playing conditions

Ahmedabad will host the encounter between England and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium. It will be a day-night match. Expect dew to play a role in the second innings. The stadium has six black soil pitches and five red soil pitches. Red soil pitches generally offer more assistance to fast bowlers than the black soil ones, while the black soil pitches are more helpful to the spinners.

Weather

The weather is expected to be warm with plenty of sun. The maximum temperature attained during the day will be 36 degrees Celsius. There will be a one per cent cloud cover and a zero per cent chance of rain. The wind will blow from the west-southwest.

Players to watch out for

For England, captain Jos Buttler will be the key. The wicket-keeper-batter is in good touch, scoring 418 runs at an average of 52 and strike rate of 112 in his last eight ODI appearances. He will be expected to lead from the front, and his leadership skills will be tested in this high-octane competition. Among the bowlers, leggie Adil Rashid will play a crucial role. With his craftiness, he can exploit the Indian conditions favouring the spinners. He has picked 12 wickets in his last five ODIs.

For New Zealand, all-rounder Daryl Mitchell will be vital to the team’s batting. He can hit the long ball and give useful overs in the middle phase of the innings. Known more for his batting, the right-hander has 251 runs in six ODIs at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 97. With the ball, Trent Boult, a left-arm pacer with a wealth of experience playing in the Indian conditions, will be expected to do his magic with the new ball. The world number five bowler had a good warm-up game against South Africa, in which he struck in the first over. In his last five ODI appearances, he has scalped 10 wickets.

Match details

Date: October 5, 2023

Time: 2:00 PM IST

Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Live streaming: Star Sports, Hotstar

 

All the statistics are sourced from ESPN Cricinfo