The opening match of the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 will be played between the defending champions (England) and 2019 runners-up New Zealand on October 5 in Gujarat's Motera Stadium. The toss for the match will take place at 1:30 pm
England will begin their World Cup campaign under the captaincy of Jos Buttler whereas Kane Williamson will lead 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: 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
Both the teams have faced each other in 95 ODI matches out of which England has won 45 matches and New Zealand 44 matches. Two matches were tied between both teams and four matches ended without any result
Kiwis speedster Trent Boult is known for his fierce speed and consistently maintaining the line and length. Boult has picked 39 wickets in just 19 World Cup matches. He needs only 3 wickets to achieve the mark of 200 ODI wickets. He has so far played 104 ODIs and clinched 197 wickets
England's all-rounder Ben Stokes could miss the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup opener against New Zealand. Stokes, who has been dealing with knee problems, rejoined the team to defend the 2019 World Cup title but he may miss the match due to a niggle in his hip. On the eve of the game, English captain Jos Buttler said that they would not risk Stokes's fitness and accordingly would make a decision
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