The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 kicks off from October 5 in India with defending champions England taking on New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, which will also host the final. This will be the first match of the 10-team round-robin tournament, which will see each team play nine matches before the top four teams qualify for the semi-finals.
England and New Zealand have a history of close contests in the World Cup, most notably the thrilling final in 2019, which ended in a tie and was decided by a boundary countback in England’s favour. Both teams have been in good form recently, with England winning their last three ODI series against Ireland, New Zealand and Pakistan, and New Zealand beating Bangladesh 2-0 at home.
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England vs New Zealand: How to watch live
The match between England and New Zealand will start at 1:30 PM IST on October 5. The match will be broadcast live on Star Sports network in India. The match will also be streamed live on Disney+ Hotstar app and website for subscribers. You can also follow the live score and updates on ESPNcricinfo.com or NDTV Sports.com.
England vs New Zealand: Preview
England will be led by wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler, who has taken over the captaincy from Eoin Morgan, who retired from international cricket after the T20 World Cup earlier this year. England have a balanced squad, with experienced players like Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, as well as exciting talents like Dawid Malan, Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran. England have a formidable batting line-up, with Malan being the highest run-scorer in ODIs this year with 520 runs at an average of 86.67 and a strike rate of 95.94. Their bowling attack is also versatile, with Rashid being the leading wicket-taker in ODIs this year with 12 wickets at an economy rate of 5.98 and a strike rate of 21.
New Zealand will be captained by Tom Latham, who is filling in for the injured Kane Williamson, who is expected to join the squad later in the tournament. New Zealand have a strong squad, with experienced players like Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill, Trent Boult and Tim Southee, as well as promising youngsters like Will Young, Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra. New Zealand have a solid batting line-up, with Young being their highest run-scorer in ODIs this year with 361 runs at an average of 36.1 and a strike rate of 80.76. Their bowling attack is also potent, with Boult being their leading wicket-taker in ODIs this year with 10 wickets at an economy rate of 5.24 and a strike rate of 18.1.
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England vs New Zealand: Prediction
Both teams are evenly matched and have a lot of depth and variety in their squads. However, England have a slight edge over New Zealand due to their recent form and confidence. England also have the advantage of playing in familiar conditions, having toured India earlier this year and won the ODI series 2-1. Therefore, we predict that England will win the opening match of the World Cup by a narrow margin.
