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2023 ODI World Cup
source: Sportstime247 https://www.sportstime247.com

As the sun sets in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, the only thing that millions of cricket fans around the globe are waiting for is the sunrise. The English saying goes, ‘The sun never sets in Britain.’ On the other hand, the New Zealand team is known as the ‘Blackcaps.’ With another edition of the ODI World Cup set to get underway, the game will see both day and night.

With fans across the globe on the edge of their seats, it will all come down to who holds their nerves better. In the opening game of the tournament, the defending champions, England, will take on the runners-up, New Zealand, at the world’s largest cricket stadium. 

Injuries seem to be a concern for both sides as fans may have to wait a bit longer before they see the return of England’s Ben Stokes and Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson.

In the pre-match press conference, England captain Jos Buttler confirmed that Ben Stokes is carrying a niggle and is unlikely to get fully fit ahead of the opener. However, he didn’t rule out the possibility of him playing. On the other hand, Kane Williamson, in the captain’s meeting, made it clear that he is still a stone’s throw away from being fully fit.

Interestingly, the two captains at the Captain’s Meet mentioned that they are not carrying any baggage. The two captains went on to say that they are looking to start fresh and not treat themselves as defending champions and runners-up of the tournament.

The two teams will be treated to scorching heat in Ahmedabad on October 5th. On the pitch, the curator mostly kept it covered. However, a bit of water was poured over it to make sure it survives the long tournament. Interestingly, rollers weren’t used at all on day minus one.

For England, if Ben Stokes misses out, Sam Curran seems to be a clear like-for-like replacement. Rest assured, here’s what CaughtatPoint’s England Playing 11 looks like:

Jos Buttler ©, Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Reece Topley, Adil Rashid.

For New Zealand, with Kane Williamson not fit, Tom Latham will be taking over the duties and leading the side.

That told, here’s what Caught At Point’s New Zealand playing XI might look like:

Tom Latham ©, Will Young, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.

With less than 24 hours to go until the game, the two teams are looking all set to take the 50-over format to a whole new level. The questions that remain unanswered for now are: Will we see a repeat of the 2019 World Cup final? Will it be a 350+ game? Will it spin in Ahmedabad? Well, let’s have some suspense, and the party awaits us.

So, will it be a repeat of the 2019 World Cup Final in the opener of the 2023 World Cup? In our opinion, even if the game-changer Ben Stokes isn’t available, it looks like England is slightly ahead and may well sit in the driver’s seat against New Zealand in the opener of the Cricket World Cup 2023.

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