In the inaugural match of the ICC World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad (India), New Zealand’s stand-in captain, Tom Latham, won the toss and made the decision to have England bat first at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
To provide more time for recovery from surgery, New Zealand opted to rest their regular captain, Kane Williamson, who has been nursing a knee injury, along with fast bowler Tim Southee, who is recovering from a thumb injury. Additionally, Lockie Ferguson was unavailable due to a minor injury.
Explaining the decision to field first, Latham stated, “We’re going to have a bowl; it looks like a reasonably good surface, but hopefully, later on when we get a chance with the bat, it gets better.”
England’s captain, Jos Buttler, expressed a similar preference, saying that they too would have chosen to bowl first.
“We’re very proud to be world champions and what we achieved four years ago, but this is something new,” Buttler emphasized. “We’re not defending anything; we’re here to attack and win it again.”
Notably, England is without the services of Ben Stokes, who is nursing a minor hip injury. He has been replaced by Harry Brook at the number four position in the lineup.
Teams:
England: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (captain), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (captain), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Trent Boult
