Scorecard | Commentary | Graphs
The highly anticipated opening match of the World Cup 2023 between England and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, October 5 turned out to be a one-sided affair. With no spectators filling the stands, the contest lacked excitement. New Zealand effortlessly defeated defending champions England by nine wickets in this lackluster encounter.
New Zealand’s Dominant Performance
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl first. Their bowlers, including Matt Henry (3/48), Mitchell Santner (2/37), and Glenn Phillips (2/17), performed brilliantly as they restricted England to a modest total of 282/9. The highlight of the match came from the New Zealand batsmen, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, who formed an unbroken partnership of 273 runs for the second wicket. This exceptional performance from Conway (152* off 121) and Ravindra (123* off 96) ensured an easy victory for the Kiwis in just 36.2 overs.
In the first innings, New Zealand’s bowlers made continuous breakthroughs, with Joe Root (77 off 86) being the only English batsman to surpass the fifty-run mark. Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan provided a promising start, adding 40 runs for the opening wicket in 7.4 overs. However, Malan’s dismissal (14 off 24) and Bairstow’s fall (33 off 35) to the guile of Mitchell Santner hindered England’s progress.
Harry Brook, who replaced the unavailable Ben Stokes, showed promise before being dismissed by Ravindra for 25 off 16. Moeen Ali (11) fell victim to Glenn Phillips, while skipper Jos Buttler and Root contributed 70 runs for the fifth wicket to stabilize England’s innings. Buttler’s dismissal for 43 off 42 derailed the batting side’s momentum, and despite some valuable contributions from the lower order, England finished with a total of 282/7.
New Zealand started their chase on a shaky note as William Young was dismissed for a golden duck by Sam Curran. However, this turned out to be the only moment of joy for England. Conway and Ravindra completely dominated the English bowlers, smashing them all over the park. Conway’s innings included 19 fours and three sixes, while Ravindra struck 11 fours and five sixes. Their unbeaten partnership of 273 runs set a new World Cup record for New Zealand, surpassing the 168-run partnership by Lee Germon and Chris Harris against Australia in Chennai in 1996.
In conclusion, New Zealand’s dominance in their World Cup 2023 opener against England was evident through their exceptional bowling and batting performances. This convincing victory sets the tone for the Kiwis’ campaign in the tournament, while England will need to regroup and come back stronger in their upcoming matches.
