After a thrilling final back in 2019, New Zealand and England are back to inaugurate ICC ODI World Cup 2023. Defending champion England will take on New Zealand on the opening day of the World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, on Thursday, October 5.
Both teams have faced each other in a four-match series in England where the home side emerged with a 3-1 victory. However, top players of both teams will be unavailable for the match yet this will be a high-voltage match to square off the campaign.
England vs. New Zealand Match Details:
Venue:
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
When?
Thursday, October 5, 2:00 PM (IST) or 8:30 AM (GMT).
Head to Head:
| Record | England | New Zealand |
| Win | 44 | 44 |
| Tied | 3 | 3 |
| No Result | 4 | 4 |
| Total | 95 | 95 |
Weather Condition:
There is a slight chance of rain (20%) before the match. Once the match starts, there will be no stoppage due to rain.
Team News:
England:
Dawid Malan will open the innings with Johnny Bairstow. Ben Stokes reportedly is suffering a hip problems, so he may play only as a batsman. There is a high chance Harry Brook will feature in the middle order.
New Zealand:
Kane Williamson will not be available for the first game against England as he will take a rest due to an ACL injury. However, Tim Southee joined the training but it is doubtful if he will play tomorrow. Rachin Ravindra will replace Kane Williamson as he scored an impressive 97 (72) runs in the warm-up match against Pakistan.
Probable XI:
| England | New Zealand |
| Jonny Bairstow | Devon Conway |
| Dawid Malan | Will Young |
| Joe Root | Rachin Ravindra |
| Harry Brook | Daryl Mitchell |
| Jos Butler | Tom Latham |
| Moeen Ali | Glenn Phillips |
| Liam Livingstone | Mitchell Santner |
| Chris Woakes | Matt Henry |
| Adil Rashid | Ish Sodhi |
| Mark Wood | Trent Boult |
| Reece Topley | Lockie Ferguson |
Pitch Report:
There are six black soil and five red soil pitches at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Seam bowlers will get extra help on the pitch. Of course, slower bowlers will come to the game as soon as the pitch gets older.
Scoring runs in the pitch is not easy but if batsman settles in the pitch then they can easily post a good score. There is very little chance of rain but dew can play a big factor. Captains will choose to bowl if they win the toss.
Note: The chasing team often wins on the ground, so make your team accordingly.
Here are the stats for the last four matches:
| Bowling Style | 1st innings | 2nd innings |
| Pace | 20 | 8 |
| Spin | 3 | 8 |
6 Players you cannot miss in England vs. New Zealand:
Dawid Malan:
Dawid Malan currently enjoying good form. He scored 277 runs in the last 3 innings against New Zealand.
Ben Stokes:
Stokes may not bowl in the match but still, he will be a very important pick. Ben Stokes has a very impressive average of 55 in 16 matches and also took 16 wickets with the ball.
Liam Livingstone:
Liam Livingstone scored 186 in the last four head-to-head matches and took 4 wickets. He will contribute with bat and ball.
Chris Woakes:
The pitch will suit Chris Woakes. He took 25 wickets in 15 head-to-head matches. If England bowls first, Chris Woakes will be very important as he took 12 wickets while bowling first in 6 matches.
Daryl Mitchell:
The most important New Zealand player for tomorrow’s match. Mitchell is having great form and scored 196 runs in 4 head-to-head matches against England. He also took 2 wickets as well.
Trent Boult:
27 Wickets in 14 matches! How can you ignore this player?
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