England will take on New Zealand in a repeat of the 2019 final for the opening match of the 2023 Cricket World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Despite going into the competition as title holders, captain Jos Buttler has been keen to play down his side’s chances, insisting that they have less pressure than four years ago and that India are firm favourites for the tournament.
The contest will lack some of the usual fanfare of opening matches after reports emerged there would not be an opening ceremony before the game itself, but it is likely to be an entertaining contest.
England go into the tournament ranked fifth in the world in the ICC one-day international rankings, with New Zealand sixth, although Buttler’s men did get the better of their opponents in a four-match series ahead of the World Cup, winning 3-1, but in home conditions.
The journey for England has been far from straightforward, it took them over 30 hours to reach Guwahati, where their first warm-up game against India was called off due to the rain, and the second against Bangladesh was also weather-affected although Buttler’s side won with relative ease.
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When is England vs New Zealand?
The Cricket World Cup opening match starts at 9.30am BST (or 2pm local time) on Thursday 5 October.
How can I watch it?
England vs New Zealand in the ICC Cricket World Cup will be shown live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket, with coverage starting from 9 am.
For those in India, Star Sports will be showing the match in five different languages on TV.
The game can also be streamed online on the Disney+Hotstar app or website.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider.
Team news
Buttler said England’s Ben Stokes sustained a “hip niggle” ahead of the match, and he was notably absent during the warm-up against Bangladesh.
England will be hoping Stokes can pull through and train well enough on the eve of the tournament to be passed fit for the opener against the country of his birth. If he cannot, Harry Brook is likely to replace Stokes at number four in the batting order.
Kane Williamson marked his return from a six-month absence with a half-century during the Kiwi’s warm-up against Pakistan.
Williamson ruptured his ACL in March 2023 during the opening Indian Premier League match and had to undergo surgery, but the opener against England is expected to be a bit too soon for the captain.
Predicted line-ups:
England XI: Bairstow, Malan, Root, Brook, Buttler, Livingstone, Ali, Curran, Woakes, Rashid, Topley
New Zealand XI: Young, Conway, Nicholls, Mitchell, Latham, Phillips, Ravindra, Boult, Santner, Jamieson, Ferguson
Odds
England 4/9
New Zealand 9/5
Prediction
It will be closer and lower-scoring than the matches in the series before the tournament, largely due to the occassion, and neither side will want to start on the back foot. England to win narrowly by 25 runs.
