Sensational display from the Kiwis. Ravindra and Conway drive New Zealand to victory over defending champions England the 2023 Cricket World Cup opener game by 9 wickets. David Conway scored remarkable 152 in 121 balls and Rachin Ravindra 123 in 96 balls. They claimed a sweet revenge for the previous World Cup final.
New Zealand won the toss and opted to field first in the opening match of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Thursday, October 5 against England. Stand-in captain Tom Latham was leading the Black Caps as Kane Williamson was sitting out. England were without Ben Stokes also. England’s aggressive batting unit flopped to some extent as barring Joe Root (77) and Jos Buttler (43), no other batter really stepped up. Jonny Bairstow gave a fiery start to the England innings but others failed to accelerate in the middle overs as England lost wickets in regular intervals. They put a score of 282/9. Matt Henry (3/48), Glenn Phillips (2/17), Santner (2/37) all kept England on pressure with help of 1 wicket taker Boult. England needed a 30-run stand from numbers 10 and 11 batters to limp to 282 runs.
Coming to the chase, it was completely one-sided and the Kiwis won the contest by 9 wickets with almost 14 overs to spare. Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway produced carnage in Ahmedabad. Thay have just handed a masterclass in chasing. England were restricted to 282 runs but New Zealand faced early loss. Will Young got out for a golden duck. After that it was Ravindra and Deveon show. They made unbeaten 273 runs partnership. Conway finished with 152 (19×4, 3×6) as Ravindra too stayed unbeaten on 123 (11×4, 5×6) and even hit the winning runs.
The World Cup opening game was not a pleasant start for England. The manner of defeat than the defeat itself that will be a big concern for them. England certainly had a stronger team. Chris Woakes was way off his game with the ball early on and the good work by Sam Curran in his first two overs was completely undone as there was no support from the other end. Mark Wood was treated to a real hammering too. The Ravindra and Deveon pair put on a mammoth unbeaten 273-run stand shattering the previous highest partnership for New Zealand in a World Cup. Rachin Ravindra is the Player of the Match for his sensational knock of 123 runs from 96 balls.