ENG vs NZ: Defending Champion England Will Face New Zealand In World Cup 2023 Open Match, Check Out The Preview

The first match of the ICC World Cup is going to be between the last World Cup winner England and the runner-up New Zealand. This match is to be played on October 5 at Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad. There has been tough competition between the two teams in the history of the World Cup. No team has been able to go even a step ahead of the other. Both teams have won an equal number of matches against each other.

England and New Zealand have come face to face a total of 10 times in the World Cup. In this, both the teams have won only five matches each. Talking about World Cup 2019, there was a lot of controversy regarding the England vs New Zealand match in the final. This match reached super over. But in the end, England was declared the winner.

Now the first match of the World Cup is going to be played between the last World Cup winner England and the runner-up New Zealand. In such a situation, New Zealand would like to settle the previous scores.

Overall 95 ODI matches have been played between the two teams. Out of which England has won 45 matches and New Zealand has won 44 matches. While 4 matches have been inconclusive and one has been a tie. In these matches, New Zealand has won 17 times while batting first, while winning 27 times while chasing the target.

Weather & Pitch Report

Talking about the weather, it is raining in most parts of the country at this time. However, there is no threat of rain in Ahmedabad at least on Thursday, October 5. The maximum temperature can go up to 36 degrees Celsius during the day. At the same time, the temperature is expected to drop to 28 degrees Celsius at night. Although there is no threat of rain, one thing that will be a matter of concern for both the captains and the bowlers is dew.

There are a total of 11 pitches at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It has a pitch made of both black and red soil. On some pitches, fast bowlers are helped and on others, spinners wreak havoc. There are some pitches here on which a lot of runs are scored. It is believed that a lot of runs will be scored on the pitch that will be used in this match. England has explosive batting anyway. Although New Zealand is also no less. The team had achieved the target of 346 against Pakistan in the practice match.

Match Details

England vs New Zealand, 1st Match Of The World Cup
Date and Time:- Thursday, October 5, 2 pm
Venue:- Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Live Streaming:- Disney+ Hotstar App and Star Sports 1,2, HD 1 and HD 2

England vs New Zealand Probable Playing 11

England:- Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c, wk), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

New Zealand:- Kane Williamson (Captain), Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Rachin Ravindra, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Trent Boult.

Injury Update: Ben Stokes has a niggle. He Will Miss The Opening Match.