England vs New Zealand Match Preview, ICC World Cup 2023, Match 1: Know probable playing XI, pitch report, know when and where the match will be played

 

The ICC ODI World Cup 2023 is starting from tomorrow. The first match of this mega event will be played between defending champion England and runner up New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat. England seems to have the upper hand in this match. At the same time, the Kiwi team cannot be taken lightly. Both the teams have been performing well for some time now. In such a situation, an exciting match is expected. 

Head to Head: ENG vs NZ

So far 95 ODI matches have been played between the two teams. During this period, England has won 45 matches and New Zealand has won 44 matches. The result of 4 matches has not been released and 2 matches are tied. 

Team News: ENG vs NZ

England (ENG)

David Malan and Jonny Bairstow will start the innings for England. Both the players are in good form at the moment. In such a situation, the management will hope that he will perform well in the first match of the World Cup 2023. The only cause of concern for England is Joe Root's inability to score runs in the 50-over format in recent times. 

In the middle order, Jos Buttler (captain and wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone will strengthen the team. All these players are in excellent form. However, there is bad news that Stokes may be out of the match against New Zealand due to a hip injury. In such a situation, Harry Brook is expected to get a chance. Talking about bowling, the responsibility of taking wickets will be on Sam Curran, Reece Topley, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid. Topley had performed well in the practice match against Bangladesh. 

England's probable playing XI: Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes/Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (captain and wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Reece Topley, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid. 

New Zealand (NZ)

New Zealand saw captain Kane Williamson perform well against Pakistan in the practice match after returning from a knee injury after six months. This has brought a lot of relief to the New Zealand team but he is still not completely fit. Experienced fast bowler Tim Southee is also making a comeback from a thumb injury. He suffered this injury during the ODI series against South Africa. 

Both Williamson and Southee may miss playing against England. Both will be under the supervision of the medical team and the management will not take any risk as the tournament is quite long. If both Williamson and Southee do not play, then Will Young and Matt Henry are likely to play. Opener Devon Conway is performing well in the batting of Kiwi team. Daryl Mitchell also seems to be in great form. However, if the team wants to progress in the tournament, the middle order will have to perform well. In bowling, Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi have performed well recently. 

New Zealand's probable playing XI: Will Young, Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (captain and wicketkeeper), Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Trent Boult. 

ENG vs NZ match details

Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Date & Time: October 5 at 07:00 PM

Live Streaming: Disney Plus Hotstar

TV: Star Sports Network

Pitch Report: ENG vs NZ

Narendra Modi Stadium is a batting friendly surface and once again the batsmen are expected to get help here. Fast bowlers can get some help in the first half of the match while spinners can be useful in the middle overs.