Ahmedabad, 6 October 2023 (TDI): New Zealand convincingly defeated England by nine wickets in the inaugural match of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra’s centuries pushed the defending champions into a difficult position as they chased a target of 283.
Conway and Ravindra formed an unbeaten partnership of 273 runs in 211 balls for the second wicket, propelling their team to a resounding victory.
Conway delivered a stunning performance, smashing 152 runs in just 121 balls, while Ravindra contributed significantly with 123 runs off 96 deliveries.
In the opening match of the 50-over World Cup, England’s Joe Root managed to score 77 runs, but the rest of the team’s batting performance was inconsistent.
Consequently, the defending champions, England, posted a total of 282-9 against New Zealand.
Ben Stokes and Kane Williamson, two prominent players, were notably absent from the playing 11 for England and New Zealand, respectively, due to their respective injuries.
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England’s aggressive batting lineup had a somewhat disappointing performance, except for Joe Root (77) and Jos Buttler (43), as no other batsman managed to make a significant impact.
Although Jonny Bairstow gave England a solid start to their innings, the team faced difficulties in picking up the pace during the middle overs.
Additionally, their progress was hampered by the frequent loss of wickets.
On a sweltering afternoon at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Matt Henry was the standout bowler for New Zealand, picking up 3 wickets for 48 runs, while the team’s trio of spinners collectively secured five wickets to put England under pressure.
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New Zealand decided to rest their regular captain, Kane Williamson, who was nursing a knee injury, and fast bowler Tim Southee, recovering from a thumb injury.
This move was intended to provide them with additional time to recuperate from their respective surgeries.
Lockie Ferguson was also unavailable due to a minor injury.
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