ICC World Cup, ENG vs NZ: Pitch and weather report
Defending champions England are up against last edition's runners-up New Zealand in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 opener. The mega tournament 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 head into the tie as favorites. Here's the pitch and weather report.
How does the pitch will behave?
Ahmedabad's colossal Narendra Modi Stadium will host the clash on October 5 (2:00pm IST). The pitch here is unusually balanced and assists both the batters and the bowlers. It remains to be seen which kind of pitch is used for the opener (black soil, red soil, and a mixture of both). Owing to the dew factor, the toss-winning skipper is likely to bowl first.
Will rain play a part?
A majority of the warm-up matches were affected by rain. However, the weather for the tournament opener is expected to be cricket-friendly. As per Accuweather, the temperature would hover around 35 degrees Celsius. The wind speed of 11 KPH will provide respite from the scorching sun. Meanwhile, the humidity level will be about 51%.
Here are the stadium stats
The venue, previously known as the Motera Stadium, has hosted 28 ODIs. Teams batting first have won 16 times (Average first innings score: 235). 365/2 by South Africa vs India in 2010 is the highest ODI score here. India own the highest successful chase here, 325 versus West Indies in 2002. 196 by West Indies against India in 1988 is the lowest-defended target here.
Southee, Williamson to miss the clash
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 get a go in the veteran duo's absence. 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.
