ICC Cricket World Cup: Champions England face sturdy New Zealand
Defending ICC Cricket World Cup champions England face last edition's runners-up New Zealand in this year's opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat. The 2023 World Cup follows the same pattern as the 2019 edition as 10 teams will play nine league games before the top four in the standings reach the semis. England go into the tie as favorites. Here's the preview.
Timing, TV listing, and pitch report, and weather update
The match will start at 2:00pm (local time). One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on the Disney + Hoststar app (paid subscription). It remains to be seen which kind of pitch is used for the opener (black soil, red soil, and a mixture of both). In terms of the weather, no rain is expected.
England go in as the favorites
England will be keen to start on a strong note, having the resources to hurt the Kiwis. Ben Stokes's return to the ODI fold hands England the onus. Dawid Malan is in cream form and Jos Buttler can be lethal in the middle. England bat deep and the presence of all-rounders lift them. Bowling-wise, the Englishmen have the right mixture.
New Zealand cannot be shut down
New Zealand saw skipper Kane Williamson return from an injury and perform well versus Pakistan in a warm-up clash. However, both Williamson and Tim Southee will be under observation with no chances being taken. Will Young and Matt Henry are likely to play if both Williamson and Southee miss out. NZ have some strong performers across departments and will be a tough nut.
A look at the two probable XIs
England probable XI: Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Reece Topley, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood. New Zealand probable XI: Devon Conway, Will Young, Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson.
Decoding the key milestones on offer
England's Joe Root can get to 500 ODI fours (499) and 50 sixes (47). Ben Stokes (3.159) can surpass former England stars David Gower (3,170) and Alastair Cook (3,204) in terms of runs. NZ all-rounder Jimmy Neesham can clock 1,500 ODI runs (1,437). Trent Boult (197) is closing in on 200 ODI scalps and can become the 6th Kiwi to do so.
Dream11 team prediction: Fantasy picks
Dream11 team prediction option 1: Dawid Malan (c), Jonny Bairstow, Devon Conway, Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Daryl Mitchell (vc), Ben Stokes, Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes. Dream11 team prediction option 2: Dawid Malan (vc), Jonny Bairstow, Devon Conway, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Daryl Mitchell (c), Tom Latham, Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid.
