England vs New Zealand LIVE: Score updates from ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 opener as Stokes misses out
England will take on New Zealand in a repeat of the 2019 final for the opening match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 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 tournament openers after reports emerged there would not be an opening ceremony before the game itself, but it is likely to be an entertaining contest.
England were ranked fifth in the world in the ICC one-day international rankings ahead of the tournament, with New Zealand sixth. Buttler also faced an anxious wait to find out if Ben Stokes recovered from a hamstring issue in time to be able to play.
Follow the latest news and updates from England vs New Zealand below and get the latest match odds and tips here.
Cricket World Cup 2023: England vs New Zealand
England take on New Zealand in the opening match of the Cricket World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Ben Stokes suffering with hip injury before World Cup opener
New Zealand win the toss and decide to bowl first
England 35-0 (6), Bairstow 21, Malan 13, Henry 0-14 (3)
09:58 , Sonia Twigg
Henry has hardly bowled to Bairstow, but he doesn’t look comfortable first ball, taking his hand off the bat in a vague attempt at a drive that goes straight to the fielder.
Interestingly, he also doesn’t look comfortable against Henry who has bowled very well in the powerplay so far and seems to be getting more movement than Boult at the other end.
Bairstow gets one away for four but it’s not well-timed, hit the toe of the bat and only just looped over mid-off in the ring.
Bairstow follows it up with another one that glances towards third man, with Boult unable to cut off the ball on the rope.
England 26-0 (5), Bairstow 12, Malan 13, Boult 0-21 (3)
09:54 , Sonia Twigg
Malan strokes Boult to the boundary for 4, he threw his hands at a wide delivery and sends the ball over short third.
Boult had been pushing the line for a wide call and does receive one, the first extras of the tournament, in the fifth over.
The New Zealand bowler tightened up his line for the rest of the over, with Malan having to defend off the stumps.
England 21-0 (4), Bairstow 12, Malan 9, Henry 0-5 (2)
09:50 , Sonia Twigg
Henry is causing problems for Malan, but England will be hoping any hint of seam movement does not last long, he has been moving the ball both ways here.
Malan just waited for Henry to bowl one wide, and the waiting paid off when he stroked a half-volley to the off-side boundary after the bowler had bowled eight balls before going for a single run.
England 16-0 (3), Bairstow 12, Malan 4, Boult 0-16 (2)
09:45 , Sonia Twigg
Boult will want to have a tighter second over after going for 12 in the first of the game, and Bairstow is able to get a single, from the second ball of the over to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Quick aggressive running from England and Malan has a two, with a clip into the leg side. The left-hander has another drive into the off side but cover is able to dive low and get a hand to it.
England 12-0 (2), Bairstow 11, Malan 1, Henry 0-0 (1)
09:41 , Sonia Twigg
Matt Henry has a big lbw appeal first ball of the second over, there’s a debate over whether to review the delivery to Malan, and they have gone for it, stand-in captain Tom Latham agreeing with the bowler.
Fortunately for Malan, DRS showed the ball going over the stumps, and the England opener misses the next one, which was a wobble-seam delivery outside the off stump.
After scoring 12 in the first over off Boult, this had been more difficult for Malan and England and it’s a maiden over from Henry.
England 12-0 (1), Bairstow 11, Malan 1, Boult 0-12, (1)
09:35 , Sonia Twigg
Bairstow defends the first ball down the pitch back to the bowler, a marked difference from the ball that flicked off his pad to the boundary in their only warm-up against Bangladesh.
But the next ball is smashed to the boundary for six, it looked just like a clip off the legs but it has flown off the bat and over the ropes, then pinching a single.
This has been a good start from England, and they have another boundary off the second last ball of the over, this is a quick surface so could be a high-scoring clash.
England vs New Zealand
09:31 , Sonia Twigg
It will be interesting to see how New Zealand fare without Lockie Ferguson who was injured on the eve of the game .
Ferguson bowled well during the pre-tournament series in England, but it will be Trent Boult to open.
England vs New Zealand
09:29 , Sonia Twigg
England vs New Zealand
09:24 , Sonia Twigg
The teams are out, the flags are being spread out in the massive 134,000-seater Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The stadium is far from full, with a few England and New Zealand fans dotted around, but it’s time for the anthems...and who better to be an ambassador for the tournament in India than Sachin Tendulkar.
England captain Jos Buttler speaking at the toss:
09:18 , Mike Jones
“It looks like a really good wicket so we just can’t wait to get going. We’re in a really good place as a team.
“We’re very proud to be world champions and what we achieved four years ago but this is something new. We’re not defending anything, we’re here to attack and win it again.
“Ben [Stokes] is going to miss this game with a little hip niggle. We are hoping he’ll be fit for our next one.”
New Zealand captain Tom Latham at the toss:
09:15 , Mike Jones
“We’re going to have a bowl, it looks a reasonably good surface but hopefully later on when he get a chance with the bat, it gets better.
“Preparation has been great, we’ve had guys in all parts of the world and we came together about a week ago, had a couple of good warm-up games and guys are excited to get stuck into things.
“Any matches you play leading into a World cup are vitally important, we had an exciting series with England that unfortunately we came out on the wrong side of but it was great preparation.
“Unfortunately, Kane Williamson is not quite ready yet but hopefully it’s a day by day thing. Lockie Ferguson has got a bit of a niggle so he’ll miss out.”
England vs New Zealand teams
09:10 , Mike Jones
England XI: Bairstow, Malan, Root, Brook, Buttler, Ali, Livingstone, Woakes, Curran, Rashid, Wood
New Zealand XI: Conway, Young, Ravindra, Mitchell, Latham, Phillips, Chapman, Neesham, Santner, Henry, Boult
England v New Zealand – Cricket World Cup 2023
09:09 , Lawrence Ostlere
A few pictures from this morning’s warm-up in Ahmedabad:
England vs New Zealand
09:07 , Mike Jones
The Cricket World Cup begins today with a rematch of the 2019 final as England take on New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Jos Buttler’s men will defend their crown during this tournament in India and will be hoping to get off to a winning start today. Ben Stokes misses out and we’ll have the official team news shortly.
New Zealand win the toss and choose to bowl first
09:05 , Mike Jones
Tom Latham, New Zealand’s captain, wins the toss and decides to field first meaning England will set a target for them to chase down.
Kane Williamson isn’t fit to play and neither is Lockie Ferguson and Tim Southee.
England captain Jos Buttler says that he would have liked to have bowled first as well but is looking forward to getting this World Cup campaign started.
As expected Ben Stokes misses out with a hip niggle and so does Reece Topley, Gus Atkinson and David Willey.
Babar Azam backs unsettled Pakistan in India
08:55 , Lawrence Ostlere
Tomorrow’s match will see Pakistan take on Netherlands, but Pakistan captain Babar Azam feels like he’s playing a Cricket World Cup at home, even if his lineup is unsettled.
The world’s top-ranked ODI batter — for more than two years — is searching for the right balance for his starting XI going into Pakistan’s opening day-nighter against Netherlands on Friday at Hyderabad.
Babar was in good touch despite Pakistan’s losses in warm-up games to New Zealand and Australia, scoring 80 and an unbeaten 90. Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel and Iftikhar Ahmed were also among the runs as Pakistan went close to 350-run marks in both games before finishing on the wrong side of the results.
“We are here for a week in Hyderabad, so we do not feel like we are in India, it’s like we are at home,” Babar said of the central Indian city, which has a large population of Muslim people, during a pre-tournament news conference.
The six-week tournament was opening Thursday with a rematch of the 2019 final between England and New Zealand.
Babar and his teammates were given a warm reception when they arrived in India after they were issued visas less than 36 hours prior to their departure from Lahore.
“We received good hospitality, and we were not expecting this, but I think the way people responded to us, everyone enjoyed it,” Babar said. “I think it’s a golden opportunity for everyone to give 100% and enjoy the tournament.”
Cricket World Cup schedule
08:45 , Lawrence Ostlere
The first match will see a repeat of the thrilling super-over final in 2019 which England won at Lord’s on the final ball. It was a final that few could forget, and it was England who won their first ever 50-over World Cup title.
India are one of the favourites as tournament hosts, despite having not won the trophy for over a decade – in fact they did not make the final in either of the last two tournaments. Their first match will be worth the wait of an extra few days when they take on Australia on 8 October in Chennai.
Cricket World Cup 2023: Full schedule, fixtures and match dates
England v New Zealand team news
08:38 , Lawrence Ostlere
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
08:35 , Lawrence Ostlere
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
How to watch the match
08:31 , Lawrence Ostlere
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 9am.
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.
England have mental strength to defend crown, says Vaughan
08:24 , Lawrence Ostlere
England’s mental strength and ability to grind out wins in high-pressure situations will give them the edge in their Cricket World Cup title defence, former captain Michael Vaughan said.
After following up their 2019 ODI title with victory in the Twenty20 World Cup last year, winning in India would mark England’s “greatest period of sporting domination”, Vaughan wrote in a Telegraph column on Wednesday.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for this group,” he added. “They can do it because England are very tough mentally. In a difficult situation, one of the players will stand up and do something to drag the team over the line.
“They generally blow teams away but when it gets spicy,” such as the 2019 World Cup final and the must-win games in that tournament, “they are mentally stronger than the rest.”
Buttler calls on England to ‘attack’ Cricket World Cup
08:16 , Lawrence Ostlere
Jos Buttler is looking to repeat the career-defining achievement of his predecessor Eoin Morgan by lifting the trophy, but distanced himself from the notion of a title ‘defence’.
For a side who have rebuilt their entire philosophy around an aggressive mindset, it is a term he is more than happy to banish.
“I don’t see us as defending champions. We’re not defending anything. I want us to attack so I don’t like the word defending,” he said.
“For us it’s irrelevant. It certainly is for me. It’s fantastic to be reigning champions and I won’t say we’ve left that behind completely because it’s a nice place to be, but you’ve given that trophy back now. It’s done.
“It’s about trying to create something new. There’s always a desire for more, a hunger for more. We wouldn’t be here if we were content with what we’ve done.”
Ben Stokes an injury doubt before World Cup opener
08:13 , Lawrence Ostlere
England are ready to kick off their World Cup defence with a rerun of their 2019 final victory against New Zealand, but returning hero Ben Stokes has emerged as an injury doubt for the opening game.
The lure of repeating the tournament triumph of four years ago was enough to draw Stokes out of ODI retirement after a year away from the format, but he may be confined to a watching brief in Ahmedabad.
While England fans will be glad to hear there are no signs of his long-term knee problems flaring up, skipper Jos Buttler revealed the 32-year-old has been struggling with soreness in his left hip in recent days.
He was the only member of the 15-strong squad not to play some part in this week’s warm-up win over Bangladesh, meaning he has not featured since scoring a new national record of 182 against the Black Caps on September 13.
Stokes joined his team-mates for their final training session under lights at the Narendra Modi Stadium - which is not expected to fill even half of its gargantuan 132,000 capacity - but was little more than a bystander.
He spent some time in the indoor gym but did not bat. Given the lengthy nature of the competition, which spans nine group games over six weeks, it seems highly unlikely that England would gamble with their prized asset at such an early stage.
“He’s got a slight niggle with his hip, but fingers crossed that it’ll be good news for us. We’ll see,” said Buttler.
“We’ll make the right call. If he’s not fit to play, he’s not fit to play. It’s not the time to take big risks on someone at the start of the tournament. Nearer the end, maybe you do take more of a risk with people’s injuries but it’s going to be a long tournament.”
Cricket World Cup 2023: England vs New Zealand
Wednesday 4 October 2023 17:34 , Jack Rathborn
Welcome to Independent Sport’s live coverage of the Cricket World Cup 2023 where holders England face New Zealand in a rematch from the thrilling 2019 final.
Jos Buttler’s side will hope to secure immortal status in the white-ball game by defending their title in India, with an opportunity to make a statement in the opener against the Black Caps.
Ben Stokes’ fitness remains a concern for England, but the depth of the side ensures Matthew Mott’s team should be able to rotate throughout the round-robin stage of the tournament.
Harry Brook will be expected to deliver in India after his selection ahead of the more experienced Jason Roy. Follow live score updates, analysis and reaction from Ahmedabad as the road (back) to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where the final takes place on 19 November, begins.
