England vs New Zealand highlights: New Zealand claimed an a-sided win over the defending champions in the World Cup 2023 opener.
Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra scored centuries, leading New Zealand to a nine-wicket victory over the defending champions, England, in the World Cup’s opening match on Thursday.
Conway and Ravindra’s unbeaten 273-run partnership secured a dominant win.
Conway delivered an impressive performance, smashing 152 runs in 121 balls, while Ravindra contributed 123 runs in 96 balls.
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New Zealand won the toss and chose to field against England. Despite the absence of Ben Stokes due to injury, England scored 282-9 runs. The match was held in Ahmedabad.
The 2019 World Cup final was won by England, despite ending in a tie, due to the number of boundaries scored.
Ravindra commented, “Sometimes it’s truly unbelievable, but it’s always great to have an exceptional day like this.” He also mentioned, “The bowlers performed excellently, and we were fortunate to have Devon in our team. I have spent a lot of time with Dev, and we are very close friends.”
New Zealand tied with England, with Tom Latham leading in place of captain Kane Williamson. They restricted England to a score they could match.
England captain Jos Buttler acknowledged, “It was indeed a disappointing day for us. New Zealand outplayed us, but it’s important to remember that it’s just one loss in a tournament that’s still ongoing.”
In the earlier stages of the match, fast bowler Matt Henry performed well, taking 3 wickets for 48 runs for New Zealand. Spinners Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips also made important contributions, each claiming two wickets.
Malan and Bairstow started well but got out to Henry and Santner respectively. Bairstow scored 33 runs.
Harry Brook replaced Ben Stokes and hit two fours and a six before getting caught at deep mid-wicket.
Joe Root reached his 37th ODI half-century off 57 balls, a knock that included two fours and one six from a reverse scoop shot. Unfortunately, he was dismissed by Glenn Phillips’ off-spin while trying a reverse sweep. Rashid and Wood’s unbeaten partnership of 30 runs helped England finish their full 50 overs despite a tough game.
Here are England vs New Zealand highlights of the match. Stay tuned with us for updates on Pakistan Cricket Updates and the latest news on the World Cup.