
The ODI World Cup 2023 got underway on October 5 in Ahmedabad with 2015 and 2019 runner-up New Zealand beating defending champions England by nine wickets. The Kiwis gave England no chance whatsoever while chasing 284 as Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra scored 152 not out and 123 not out, respectively to take Kane Williamson-less New Zealand home.
The game produced several moments to remember for the fans.
Below are the top five moments from the ODIWorld Cup 2023 opener:
With Tim Southee not playing the game, Kiwis had hopes from Trent Boult to take early wickets with his swing. Boult, however, was off colour as he was thrashed for 12 runs in tournament's and his first over including a second ball six from Jonny Bairstow. Incidentally, it was Jonny Bairstow only who was bowled on the second ball of the 2019 edition. Have a look at the moment below:
Joe Root has always been a classy batter and now he has added a modern weapon to his arsenal as well - A reverse ramp! Yes, you heard it right, folks. The shot was on display in the ODI World Cup opener against New Zealand as well when he reverse ramped Trent Boult for a six in the 12th over of the innings. Have a look at the shot here:
England were looking good for 300 despite losing Dawid Malan and Bairstow early on. Root was at one end and scored 77 with other batters batting around him. Many England players got the start such as Harry Brook - 25, Jos Buttler - 43, and Liam Livingstone - 20. The Kiwi pacers, however, did well to stop England at 283 before making small work of the chase. Have a look at the innings highlights:
New Zealand were rocked early in the chase as they lost Will Young for a golden duck in the second over. That, however, remained the only wicket Englishmen would get in the night as Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra both scored tons while stitching an unbeaten 273-run partnership.
The emphatic performance from the Kiwi duo saw multiple records getting broken. While Conway became the fourth-highest run-getter on a World Cup debut, Rachin Ravindra became the youngest to cross the three-digit mark from the country. It was also the first instance in New Zealand’s World Cup cricket history that two players had scored tons in an innings in this competition. The stand between Conway and Rachin is also fourth on the list of highest partnerships for any wicket in Cricket World Cup history.