February 14, 1996. On a Wednesday morning, the sun had peeked through as Michael Atherton and Lee Germon went out for the toss in the opening game of the ODI World Cup at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad. It was Atherton who won the toss, but England ended up losing the game. Nathan Astle, who credited a local pani-puri seller for his game-breaking hundred, turned out to be the difference between the sides.
Looking back, New Zealand stuck to the virtues of getting the one per centers right — fielding and some good running between the wickets. England dropped enough catches. There was also a terrible mix-up between Neil Fairbrother and Atherton, running for the injured Graeme Hick, which resulted in the latter being run out.
As destiny would have it, the two countries are going to play in the inaugural match of the 2023 ODI World Cup. Remarkably, the match is going to be held in the same city, although the stadium is not the same.
The Jos Buttler-led England side perhaps starts as marginal favourites. They are brimming with power-hitters. And that is juxtaposed by a sense of calmness that Joe Root brings to the side. Root, however, looked out of sync with the ODI format while playing against New Zealand at home. The little bit of game time he got in the practice match versus Bangladesh might have helped him find his rhythm back. England also have enough strength and depth when it comes to all-rounders.
Is there still room for some good old English pessimism? In comparison to other aspects of their game, England’s bowling looks a tad weaker. At 33, Mark Wood has touched his peak, while Reece Topley has the required tools. Adil Rashid and Chris Woakes have loads of experience. Yet, there are concerns surrounding England’s spin department and potential injuries to pace bowlers. On occasions, their gung-ho approach could also lead to a collapse. Incidentally, if Bangladesh had taken their chances, the practice game could have been a close one.
New Zealand, who are known as trendsetters in ODI cricket, would depend more on the old-fashioned methods. Build a platform at the top for players like Jimmy Neesham, Mark Chapman and Glenn Phillips to do some heavy-lifting down the order. Trent Boult will once again spearhead the pace attack. Matt Henry, his pace colleague, found enough seam movement in the warm-up match versus South Africa.
Among the spinners, New Zealand will bank on Mitchell Santner, who has returned to full fitness. The one missing link will be the captain Kane Williamson, who is returning from a major injury. Williamson, who looked in good nick in practice games, is being rested for this game.
The last time these two sides met in a 50-over World Cup, it turned out to be a game for ages. It is difficult to envisage another such classic like the 2019 final taking place. But when these two sides lock horns, it generally turns into a hard-fought contest. May the 2023 World Cup begin with a nail-biter.
Time and venue details
October 5 from 14:00 IST. Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
Expected conditions
As per the forecast, there is no real chance of inclement weather playing spoilsport. There are both red soil and black soil pitches at the ground. So, conditions would depend on the nature of the soil. Just to exemplify the point further, a couple of years ago, when England and India played T20Is at the ground, we saw different conditions for almost every game. The team winning the toss is set to bowl first.
Possible XIs
New Zealand: Rachin Ravindra threw his hat in the ring to open the batting with a 97 in the warm-up versus Pakistan. But in all likelihood, New Zealand would opt for Will Young and Devon Conway.
Will Young, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c, wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson.
England: They do have an issue as their star all-rounder, Ben Stokes, is carrying a hip niggle. Harry Brook is the reserve batter. England have another selection conundrum — whether to pick an extra seam-bowling all-rounder or Topley.
Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes/Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c, wk), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley.
Match-ups
Boult versus England’s top-order: The left-arm bowler has dismissed Root and Bairstow nine times combined in ODIs. Genuine swing, the three-quarter seam ball, supplemented by the left-arm angle might trouble the top order again. Curiously, New Zealand, too, have had their issues versus left-arm pace.
Captains speak
Playing in a World Cup in these sorts of conditions over in India is pretty special and I’m sure we’re going to see some fantastic cricket over the next six to eight weeks. So, fingers crossed, there’s plenty of one-day cricket coming up in the future. But from our point of view, all we can do is try to entertain from a cricket point of view.
Tom Latham (New Zealand)
I think we’ll make the right call here (on whether to rest Ben Stokes who has a niggle). Whether [sic] he’s not fit to play, he’s fit to play. If he is, then we can make that decision
Jos Buttler (England)