England will begin their title defense against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Friday in the ODI World Cup opener. It is a famous adage that ‘well begun is half job done’ and both teams will be looking to make a winning start to their campaign.
England recently bested New Zealand by 3-1 and that series will definitely give them more confidence. However, everything changes in high-pressure World Cup matches and it will be interesting to note how the previous edition’s finalists handle the same.
We look at the current form, head-to-head, players to look out for, and squads of both teams in our match preview.
Current form for England: NR W A W W
England not only defeated New Zealand in a recent four-match series but they also beat them by comprehensive margins. The likes of Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, and Jos Buttler were all among the runs against the Kiwis and they will want to carry on the good show.
Current form for New Zealand: W W NR L L
After losing the series against England, New Zealand was able to bounce back against Bangladesh, winning by 2-0. Furthermore, the Kiwis also won their two warm-up matches against South Africa and Pakistan. The Blackcaps will want to carry the same impetus against in-form England.
Head to Head: Matches: 95, Won by England: 45, Won by New Zealand: 44, NR: 4, Tied: 2.
It is almost even-stevens as far as H2H is concerned between these two teams.
Players to look out for: Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid will hold the key.
Kane Williamson, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, and Tim Southee will be the crucial players for New Zealand.
England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
New Zealand squad: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.
