Sequels in film deliver rarely, the same holds for sport. England found that out with its nine-wicket defeat on Thursday. The first half of the 2023 ODI World Cup opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad resembled the middle overs of an early-2000s ODIs, with fall of quick wickets punctuated by rotation of strike and smattering of big hits.
The match needed a moment to elevate it, and Devon Conway’s 152 and Rachin Ravindra’s 123, during a 283 chase, provided just that.