ODI World Cup 2023: England will begin their 50-over World Cup title defence against New Zealand in a repeat of the 2019 final on Thursday.
The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 opening match will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
For England, their star all-rounder Ben Stokes is doubtful for the opening match. Captain Jos Buttler on Wednesday stated that Stokes was battling a hip issue and no certainty to take on the Kiwis.
"We've been nursing a few guys over the last month or so. Hopefully we'll have a clean bill of health to pick from. He (Stokes) got a slight sort of niggle with his hip, but fingers crossed that that'll be good news for us. He's working hard with the physios and we'll know more when the guys arrive for training today," Buttler was quoted as saying by the ICC.
"Whether he (Stokes) is not fit to play, he's not fit to play. If he is, then we can make that decision. But it's not a time to take big risks on someone at the start of the tournament. Nearer the end, maybe do take more of a risk with people's injuries. But, yeah, it's going to be a long tournament," Buttler added.
New Zealand will play the World Cup-opener without key pacer Tim Southee, who is yet to recover from his thumb surgery.
Williamson had also undergone surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament in April and is yet to make a comeback to competitive cricket. However, he played in Kiwis' warm-up games ahead of the World Cup.
'Obviously no Kane and no Tim as well. He's unavailable for selection just in terms of what happened to his thumb a couple of weeks ago, but he's recovering nicely,' Latham told reporters on the eve of the tournament opener.
On paper, England might have an edge as it was shown in the recent ODI series which they won 3-1.
Here's all you need to know about the England vs New Zealand World Cup 2023 opening match:
World Cup 2023, England vs New Zealand: Date, Time And Venue
The ENG vs NZ World Cup 2023 match will be played on Thursday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad from 2 PM IST onwards.
England vs New Zealand World Cup Match Live Telecast And TV Channel Details
The ENG vs NZ World Cup 2023 match will be broadcast live on Star Sports Network in India.
England vs New Zealand World Cup Match Live Streaming
Disney+ Hotstar will stream the ENG vs NZ World Cup match live on its app and website.
How To Watch ENG vs NZ In England And New Zealand
Cricket fans in the United Kingdom can watch the ENG vs NZ match on Sky Sports Cricket, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Mix, Sky Showcase and digitally via the SkyGO and Sky Sports App.
Primetime, free-to-air highlights will be available on Channel 5 and My5 App for the first time, the ICC said in a media release.
For fans in New Zealand, Sky Sport NZ is the place to be for Men's Cricket World Cup matches.
England Squad For ODI World Cup 2023
Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
New Zealand Squad For ODI World Cup 2023
Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.
(With PTI inputs)
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