The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup India 2023 has officially kicked off, and cricket enthusiasts around the globe are in for a treat! With 48 exciting matches featuring 10 formidable teams, this tournament promises to be a spectacle of cricketing excellence.

Match Details:

Match: England vs New Zealand 
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
Toss: New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Umpires: Nitin Menon, Kumar Dharmasena, Paul Wilson, Shahid Saikat
Match Referee: Javagal Srinath 
Match attendance: 47518

The opening match at the illustrious Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, set the stage for the cricketing extravaganza. New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl, setting the tone for an exciting showdown. On the inaugural day, 47,518 fervent fans gathered to witness the action unfold.

Team Lineups:

England Playing 11: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (C)(WK), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, and Mark Wood. Notably, Ben Stokes was absent from the lineup.

New Zealand Playing 11: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (C)(WK), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Matt Henry, Mitchell Santner, James Neesham, and Trent Boult. Key players Kane Williamson, Lockie Ferguson, and Tim Southee were missing from their lineup.

Match Result: 

New Zealand triumphed in style, winning by a commanding 9 wickets. England posted a total of 282/9 in their allotted 50 overs, which New Zealand chased down with 82 balls to spare, reaching a formidable 283/1 in just 36.2 overs. Both centurions, Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway, remained not out, guiding their team to victory in a dominating fashion. Rachin Ravindra was awarded the 'Player of the Match' for his stellar performance.

Will the defending champions recover from this heavy defeat?

Records:

The match between England and New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup opener etched its name into ODI cricket history as a number of records were broken. 

  • All 11 England batters scored in double digits, becoming the first team to achieve the feat in the history of ODI cricket. This is the first instance in 4,658 fifty-over matches. 
  • Rachin Ravindra broke Devon Conway's record for the fastest century by a New Zealander in a World Cup.
  • Rachin (123*) and Conway (152*) registered their career-best scores in this match.
  • Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway's partnership is now the 4th highest partnership in the World Cup history and the highest for New Zealand. Their unbeaten record-breaking partnership of 273 runs not only secured their place in history but also surpassed the legendary Indian duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, who had a partnership of 244 runs in the 2003 World Cup.
  • Rachin also became the youngest NZ player to score a world cup century.
  • Joe Root achieved a significant milestone, scoring his 1000th run against New Zealand in ODIs.

Furthermore, this match witnessed the first occurrence of two New Zealand players scoring centuries in the same World Cup match. 

Match Highlights:

The match was filled with thrilling moments. Rachin Ravindra delivered a spectacular performance, achieving his fifty in 36 balls with a six against Moeen Ali. Rachin scored his century in just 82 balls, hitting 11 fours and 5 sixes with a strike rate of 128. He remained unbeaten on 123 off 96 balls.

Interestingly, Devon Conway also scored his fifty in 36 balls with a six against Adil Rashid and secured his century in just 83 balls. Conway's remarkable 152* off 122 balls with a strike rate of 126, featuring 19 fours and 3 sixes, was a sight to behold.

Next Match:

Cricket fans can look forward to the upcoming clash between Pakistan and the Netherlands on October 6, 2023, promising more action and drama on the cricket field.

Did You Know?

  • Rachin Ravindra's name is a beautiful amalgamation of two cricketing legends, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar. "Ra" is derived from Rahul, and "chin" from Sachin, resulting in the unique name "Rachin."
  • The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. is the largest cricket stadium in the world with a seating capacity of 132,000 spectators.

As the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup India 2023 unfolds, cricket enthusiasts worldwide eagerly await more breathtaking moments and outstanding performances from the world's best cricketers. 

With the hashtags #CWC2023, #ICCWorldCup2023, #ICCMensWorldCup2023, #ICCMensWorldCupIndia2023, #WorldCup2023, #WorldCup, #ENGvNZ, #Rachin, #RachinRavindra, #DevonConway and #JoeRoot, fans can join the conversation and share their excitement for this extraordinary tournament. #fanrank