(Image Source: Twitter)
[Saba Sports News] After months of anticipation, the ODI World Cup 2023 has begun, featuring defending champions England against New Zealand at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday, October 5. This colossal stadium boasts a capacity of 132,000, making it the largest cricket ground globally, but surprisingly, the two 2019 finalists were met with empty stands.
The first match of any major event usually generates tremendous excitement among fans. While there’s visible enthusiasm on social media, the initial moments of the first game lacked the expected crowd energy. It’s worth noting that the match falls on a weekday, so fans might join in for the latter part of the game. Filling a stadium of such enormous capacity is challenging, but a match of this significance deserves a strong attendance.
In the match, New Zealand’s captain, Tom Latham, won the toss and elected to field first on a seemingly good pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Trent Boult and Matt Henry couldn’t extract much from the surface as England’s openers, Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan, made a solid start.
However, Henry claimed the first wicket of the 2023 ODI World Cup by dismissing Malan for a 24-ball 14, caught behind by Latham. At that point, England had reached 40 runs in 7.4 overs. Joe Root joined Bairstow and showcased one of his signature reverse scoop shots off Boult for a six. Bairstow’s aggressive innings came to an end, scoring 33 off 35 balls as he skied one to Daryl Mitchell at long-off. England possesses a deep batting lineup, but they would ideally seek partnerships to lay the foundation for their power hitters in the lower order.