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The excitement of the ODI World Cup has landed on India's shores, and two cricketing powerhouses — England and New Zealand — are set to kick off the long cricket extravaganza at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, October 5.
While England will be without Ben Stokes for the inaugural match, New Zealand faces greater injury challenges. Both Tim Southee and Kane Williamson are sidelined for the opener, setting the stage for a potentially thrilling contest. With Williamson sitting out the first game, Tom Latham will hold the mantle of captaining the Kiwis.
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With two points, a perfect start, and most importantly, bragging rights at stake in this opening game, New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl first. Their injuries will see Ish Sodhi, Kane Williamson and Lockie Ferguson miss out on the opening match.
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England Playing XI:
Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler(w/c), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
New Zealand Playing XI:
Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w/c), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Matt Henry, Mitchell Santner, James Neesham, Trent Boult
What the captains said:
Tom Latham shared an update on the injuries in their camp during the toss, “Preparation has been great. Guys came together from different parts of the world a week ago. Unfortunately Kane's not quite ready yet. Ferguson has got a bit of a niggle. Sodhi, Kane, Southee all miss out.”
Meanwhile, England skipper Jos Buttler spoke about the reason for Stokes' absence, “Preparation has been okay. Had a good series against NZ at home. Very proud of the achievement four years ago. Ben's going to miss this game. Has a niggle with his hip. Guys missing out are Atkinson, Topley, Willey and Stokes.”
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