New Zealand got their Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign off to a perfect start with a comprehensive 9-wicket victory over defending champions England in the opening match of the tournament in Ahmedabad on October 5, 2023.
New Zealand won the toss and elected to field first, and they made early inroads into the England batting line-up, reducing them to 3 down for 30 runs. Joe Root and Jos Buttler then put on a 70-run partnership to revive the England innings, but both batsmen were dismissed in quick succession.
England continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, and they were eventually bowled out for 282 in 49.4 overs. Matt Henry was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers with 3 wickets, while Glenn Phillips and Mitchell Santner took 2 wickets each.
New Zealand got off to a flying start in their chase, with Devon Conway and Will Young putting on a 105-run opening partnership. Conway went on to score a magnificent 152* off 138 balls, while Rachin Ravindra chipped in with a quickfire 123* off 96 balls. The pair put on an unbroken 273-run partnership to guide New Zealand to a comfortable victory with 14 overs to spare.
This was New Zealand’s first victory over England in a Cricket World Cup match since 1992. It was also the biggest margin of victory in a Cricket World Cup opener since Australia defeated England by 10 wickets in 1999.
England innings:
| Batsman | Not Out | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s |
| Jonny Bairstow | c Conway b Henry | 33 | 40 | 6 | 0 |
| Dawid Malan | lbw b Boult | 27 | 45 | 3 | 0 |
| Joe Root | c Latham b Neesham | 77 | 86 | 6 | 1 |
| Harry Brook | c Phillips b Henry | 28 | 36 | 3 | 0 |
| Jos Buttler (c, wk) | c Young b Henry | 43 | 51 | 5 | 0 |
| Moeen Ali | c Conway b Santner | 13 | 29 | 1 | 0 |
| Liam Livingstone | not out | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Woakes | c Young b Santner | 12 | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| Sam Curran | c Conway b Neesham | 17 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| Adil Rashid | c Latham b Boult | 11 | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| Mark Wood | c Latham b Ferguson | 15 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
Total (9 wickets; 50 overs) | 282
Fall of wickets | 1-30 (Bairstow, 6.4 overs), 2-48 (Malan, 11.4 overs), 3-55 (Brook, 13.5 overs), 4-125 (Root, 24.5 overs), 5-195 (Buttler, 37.5 overs), 6-217 (Ali, 42.4 overs), 7-220 (Woakes, 43.2 overs), 8-246 (Curran, 47.3 overs), 9-279 (Rashid, 49.3 overs)
Bowling:
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Econ |
| Trent Boult | 10 | 0 | 53 | 2 | 5.30 |
| Matt Henry | 10 | 2 | 46 | 3 | 4.60 |
| James Neesham | 10 | 1 | 50 | 2 | 5.00 |
| Mitchell Santner | 10 | 0 | 37 | 2 | 3.70 |
| Adam Milne | 4 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 5.75 |
| Lockie Ferguson | 6 | 0 | 73 | 1 | 12.16 |
New Zealand innings:
| Batsman | Not Out | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s |
| Devon Conway | not out | 152* | 138 | 16 | 2 |
| Will Young | c Butler b Curran | 52 | 58 | 7 | 0 |
| Rachin Ravindra | not out | 123* | 96 | 12 | 3 |
Total (1 wicket; 36 overs) | 283
Fall of wickets | 1-105 (Young, 20.4 overs)
Bowling:
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Econ |
| Chris Woakes | 10 | 0 | 60 | 1 | 6.00 |
| Sam Curran | 7 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 4.85 |
| Adil Rashid | 10 | 0 | 78 | 0 | 7.80 |
| Mark Wood | 9 | 0 | 111 | 0 | 12.33 |
Analysis –
New Zealand’s victory was down to a combination of factors. Their bowlers were disciplined and accurate, and they took wickets at regular intervals. Their fielding was also excellent, and they saved several runs in the field.
In the chase, Conway and Ravindra played outstanding innings. Conway was particularly impressive, as he batted with great composure and timing. Ravindra also played a superb innings, and he showed great maturity for a young player. 275 runs partnership for 2nd wicket between Dewon Conway and Rachin Ravindra.
England, on the other hand, were simply outplayed. Their batting line-up looked fragile, and they lost wickets at regular intervals. Their bowlers were also unable to contain the New Zealand batsmen.
Conclusion:
New Zealand’s victory was a resounding one, and it sent a strong message to the rest of the teams in the tournament. They are one of the favourites to win the Cricket World Cup 2023, and they will be looking to build on this momentum in their next match against Sri Lanka. England, on the other hand, will need to pick themselves up quickly and come back stronger in their next match against Australia.
