England vs New Zealand, Match 1 ICC World Cup
5 October 2023, 2:00pm IST, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
The fever of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 is ready to take on the cricketing fraternity.
The tournament gets on the way with a repeat of the last edition's final between England (ENG) and New Zealand (NZ). The two teams will face each other in the opening clash of the grand tournament on 5th October at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The game is scheduled to start at 2:00 PM IST.
England are coming into the tournament as the reigning champions. They will look to give their best and defend the title. The English team is known for their all-out approach in recent times. The team boasts of an all-round unit with an equal weightage in most departments.
On the other hand, New Zealand will try to avenge their defeat in the summit clash of the 2019 edition. The Kiwis boast a decent batting line-up and a solid pace unit. Besides the pace unit, they have a decent spin attack, with Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi in the ranks.
With two well-balanced all-round units taking on each other in the tournament's first game and looking for a winning start, the stage is set for a cracker of a contest. Ahead of the match, we take a look at the match preview and the best tips for the dream11 fantasy contests of the match.
Team Form, Last 5 Matches for England: W-W-W-W-W
Team Form, Last 5 Matches for New Zealand: W-W-W-W-L
Contents
ENG vs NZ Match Preview
England
Jos Buttler will lead England during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. Ahead of the important tournament, one of the biggest match-winners for England, Ben Stokes, came out of his retirement. The inclusion of Stokes has increased the all-round strength of the team ahead of the tournament.
The likes of Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Liam Livingstone, and Jos Buttler ensure that England can walk the path of the all-out attacking approach, where they persistently take on the opposition bowlers. The presence of Sam Curran, Ben Stokes, and Chris Woakes gives stability and flexibility to the team in both the batting and bowling departments.
While the batting and all-round section looks solid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley, and Adil Rashid give a pretty solid look to the bowling attack.
“He gets in any team in the world.” 👏
Ready for Stokesy at the #CWC23? 🏏
Watch The Road to Retain now 👇
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) October 3, 2023
Probable Best Performers
Probable Best Batter: Jonny Bairstow
Probable Best Bowler: Mark Wood
Probable Playing XI
Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Jos Buttler (c and wk), Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, and Reece Topley.
New Zealand
New Zealand has been in the final of the last two ODI World Cups. This time, they will look to go one better and cross the final frontier to become the world champions for the first time.
The team's batting has a solid look, with the likes of Devon Conway, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips and Tom Latham. The return of Kane Williamson, as the team's skipper, has added to the batting strength and promises to give the team an excellent propeller with a solid leader at the helm.
The presence of Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, and Daryl Michell gives the Black Caps a lot of flexibility and dynamism, which is needed to win such a tournament. Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson will be the leading pacers of the team, making the unit a team to contend with during the tournament.
Heavy rain forces an early end in Thiruvananthapuram. Trent Boult leading the bowling with 2-20. Scorecard | https://t.co/vYK10goKpF #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/zPEeB6aTXh
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) October 2, 2023
Probable Best Performers
Probable Best Batter: Devon Conway
Probable Best Bowler: Ish Sodhi
Probable Playing XI
Devon Conway, Will Young, Mark Chapman, Tom Latham (c and wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodi, and Trent Boult.
Pitch Report and Expected Weather Conditions for England vs New Zealand
Narendra Modi Stadium, Pitch Report: The pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium will be good for batting for most parts of the match. The wicket will stay true, and batters from both teams will enjoy batting on the wicket.
However, with the progression of the game, it might slow down a bit, and the spinners will probably come into play.
Narendra Modi Stadium ODI Records
Matches: 3
Matches Won Batting First: 1
Matches Won Batting Second: 2
Average First Innings Score: 225
Average Second Innings Score: 221
Expected Weather Condition: The weather at Ahmedabad on Thursday is expected to be sunny. The highest temperature will be 35 degrees, and the lowest around 23 degrees Celsius. There is no forecast for rain during the match.
England vs New Zealand Dream11 Match Prediction
Wicket-keepers: Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Devon Conway
Batters: Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Ben Stokes
All-rounders: Mitchell Santner, Rachin Ravindra
Bowlers: Tim Southee, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Recommended Captain: Devon Conway
Recommended Vice-captain: Ben Stokes
The wicket at the Narendra Modi Stadium will be good for batting, and hence, the primary dream11 tips will be to go for six batters in the Dream11 team. Mark Wood might prove to be handy with his pace on Indian wickets and give some important fantasy points.
Chris Woakes and Tim Souhee can pick up wickets with the new ball and, hence, will be essential selections for the game. As the game goes by, the spinners will prove handy; in that case, Rachin Ravindra and Mitchell Santner can give some valuable fantasy points. Also, both can contribute with the bat, which is essential.
Devon Conway is a good batter against both spin and pace, and he has been in great form recently. On the other hand, Ben Stokes has looked invincible since his return. Selecting these two as the captain or vice-captain is a good option.
England vs New Zealand win prediction: New Zealand to win
England looks like a pretty strong unit, and they are also the defending champions. But given the two teams' playing conditions and composition, New Zealand is expected to win.
