ENG vs NZ: England Playing 11 vs New Zealand Playing 11 Prediction Match 1 | ICC World Cup 2023

ENG vs NZ: England Playing 11 vs New Zealand Playing 11 Prediction Match 1 | ICC World Cup 2023: It's been a little bit more than four years since that infamous episode unfolded at the Lord's Cricket Ground in London. England and New Zealand were the two teams plying their trade as it stirred a massive controversy around the rules of the game of cricket and its effectiveness in giving the honour to the deserved one. Though that episode went in favor of the hosts, England, who eventually were crowned as the 2019 World Cup champions amidst all the hue and cries of partiality in the rules, the two teams will be against each other once again, but at a completely different setting.

England will take on New Zealand in the curtain-raiser fixture of the ICC World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The number of fans assembling to watch the ENG vs NZ opening fixture could reach as high as 1,30,000 in Ahmedabad, which would be one hell of an experience for the teams playing.

The environment of the ICC World Cup 2023 will be different and the conditions will be testing for the players as they play in the scorching heat of Ahmedabad. The weather for the day is also predicted to remain on the drier side with no rain predictions.

Let us take a look at the ENG vs NZ: England Playing 11 vs New Zealand Playing 11 Prediction Match 1 | ICC World Cup 2023.

ENG vs NZ: England Playing 11 vs New Zealand Prediction | World Cup 2023

England have options aplenty to choose their playing 11 for the ICC World Cup 2023 opener against New Zealand. The team can comfortably afford to bench both Reece Topley and David Willey, if needed, due to a lot of all-rounder options in the team.

Opener Dawid Malan would be Jos Buttler's one of the most potent weapons at the top order. Malan has shown promising signs in the past few weeks owing to which he pipped veteran opener Jason Roy from the ICC World Cup 2023 squad. The 36-year-old batter amassed 277 runs in just three ODI innings against New Zealand last month.

All-rounder Ben Stokes's return to the ODI colours could see a bit of delay as the batter complained of a hip niggle. England captain Buttler informed that the decision to include Stokes into the side will be taken after accessing his niggle. Young Harry Brook will provide cover to the team in case Ben Stokes is not fit to play in the fixture.

Here is England Playing 11 vs New Zealand:

Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes/Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c/wk), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

ENG vs NZ: New Zealand Playing 11 vs England Prediction | World Cup 2023

New Zealand has suffered an early setback as their captain, Kane Williamson will be unavailable for the opening game against England. Williamson suffered a knee ligament injury during the IPL 2023 and is not yet 100 percent ready to play a full-length ODI game. Though he was one of the top scorers for New Zealand in the two warm-up games held, where he scored a total of 91 runs from 101 deliveries.

The Kiwis can include Rachin Ravindra or James Neesham to fill the place left by Kane Williamson. The former batter scored 97 runs in the warm-up games, which might persuade the management to give him a nod ahead of seasoned James Neesham.

In Williamson's absence, Tom Latham would spearhead the side, while Devon Conway would open the innings alongside Will Young.

Here is New Zealand Playing 11 vs England:

Devon Conway, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c/wk), Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham/Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson

ALSO READ: ENG vs NZ Dream11 Prediction World Cup 2023 Match 1 | England vs New Zealand Dream11 Team, Narendra Modi Stadium Pitch Report

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