England vs New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad: Oct 05, 2023 - Match Preview
It's finally here, after 4 long years of wait, the ICC Men's CWC 2023 gets underway at Ahmedabad with defending champions England taking on the losing finalist New Zealand, from the last World Cup final. What a final that was! English won the ODI series these two teams played last month 3-1 although both teams experimented quite a lot with their combination for the preparation for the World Cup.
Kiwi batting has a strong look about them which was well on display in the two warm up games where they breached 300 with ease on both occasions. Will Young and Devon Conway are the most likely openers who like to take their time to settle in and play a long innings. Kane Williamson will miss this game so Latham should slot in at 3. Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips provide enough flair and power in the middle overs with both very good players of spin as well.
New Zealand has one of the most well rounded bowling attacks even without Tim Southee who will miss the game for to injury. Boult and Henry can both move the ball early and will be a handful even in Indian conditions. Lockie Ferguson provides raw pace while Santner and Sodhi give finger and wrist spin options for the middle over squeeze. Then there's Neesham and Mitchell who can roll the arm over if required. Ravindra can play in place of Neesham depending on the pitch.
English batting looks ominous on paper with Bairstow and an in-form Malan set to open the innings. Root provides the stability at number 3. If Stokes misses out of the opening game (he has a niggle in his hip, his availability will be confirmed on match day), Harry Brook is likely to replace him. Skipper Buttler and the dashing Livingstone will provide explosive finishing touches to the innings. They still have Moeen Ali and Sam Curran if the above batsmen give them a chance!
The bowling unit of English has been functioning like a well oiled machine. Wood and Woakes have provided the pace while Curran looks like an upgraded version of himself nailing yorkers at death. Rashid and Livingstone have been performing the spin duties relatively well.
Key Battles: England vs New Zealand
Mark Wood vs Devon Conway
Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone vs Ish Sodhi
Adil Rashid vs Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips
Jonny Bairstow vs Trent Boult
Ahmedabad generally provides very good batting pitches and that will most likely continue in the ICC Men's CWC 2023. There might be movement under lights which might suit Boult in particular if the Kiwis bowl second.
Probable England XI
Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Probable New Zealand XI
Devon Conway, Will Young, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham/ Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson
Top 5 Fantasy Picks for England v New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad
Dawid Malan
Devon Conway
Daryl Mitchell
Trent Boult
Mark Wood
The match will start at 2.00 PM IST (streamed live on Disney plus Hotstar app & on TV on Star Sports 1)
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Will New Zealand manage to win against England after the heart break in 2019?
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