Warm-up matches for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 are almost done at the time of articulating this piece. The actual event starts on October 5, 2023, with the defending champions and runners-up from the 2019 edition facing each other in the opener. England and New Zealand will lock horns in Narendra Modi Stadium at 2 p.m. IST.
The stadium has witnessed a large amount of action in T20. It is time for the Gukjarati flavor to add some local taste to the global event. The ODI figures for the stadium are as interesting as the head-to-head record between both sides.
England and New Zealand have played 95 matches in the 50-over format. The difference is just of a single match, with NZ winning 44 against 45 by their upcoming opponent. The result was drawn in 4 events. England is expected to be led by Jos Butler, while NZ will give some rest to Kane Williamson. Instead, Tom Latham will wear the captaincy cap for the side.
Trent Boult will lead the bowling attack, along with Tim Southee. England will rely on Mark Wood and all-rounder Ben Stokes.
Other players for New Zealand are:
- Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Mitchell Santer, WA Young, Rachin Ravindra, DJ Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, and MJ Henry
Other players for England are:
- Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, Reece Topley, and Sam Curran
These players are expected to be fielded in the opening action of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, which India is hosting. Hosts, by the way, are one of the favorites to win the tournament, per the best cricket betting sites. Odds are also inclined toward both teams, which are opening on October 5, 2023, plus Australia.
Narendra Modi Stadium has held 28 ODIs so far. Teams to bat first have won 16 matches, and teams to bowl first have won 12 matches. The first inning records a chase of 235, followed by 203 in the second inning. The highest run put on the board is 365, with a loss of 2 wickets. This milestone was handed to India by South Africa. Zimbabwe holds the record for scoring the lowest run of 85 runs in 30.1 overs.
New Zealand have won both their warm-up games. The first was against Pakistan, where the target of 346 was chased in 43.4 overs. The second victory was against South Africa by 7 runs (DLS method).
The English side has only played one warm-up match, and the event with India had to be suspended with no ball bowled. They later managed to beat Bangladesh by 4 wickets and 77 balls using the DLS method.
England, as of now, holds the major chance of winning. This comes to roughly 65%. What remains is for New Zealand to claim the win in the absence of their best player, Kane Williamson.
