New Zealand beat England by 9 wickets in the opening match of the ODI World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
After England posted a pretty pedestrian 282-9 from their 50 overs, having been put into bat, New Zealand romped to victory in 36.2 overs, with Devon Conway (152no) and Rachin Ravindra (123no) both notching scintillating centuries on their World Cup debuts.
Sam Curran (1-47) had taken the wicket of Will Young (0) with his first ball, but Chris Woakes and Mark Wood went round the park at the other end as Conway and Ravindra brought up the New Zealand 100 to start the 13th over.
England had no answer to the blistering run-scoring, the Kiwi pair serenely going through to three figures, with Conway reaching 150 shortly before New Zealand clinched a most emphatic of opening victories.
Chasing 283 runs, the Black Caps lost a lone wicket and completed the target in just 36.2 overs. The chase looked very easy for the Kiwis as Conway and Ravindra registered a second-wicket partnership of 273 runs to help the Kiwis sail through.
New Zealand next face Netherlands in Hyderabad on October 9 while England take on Bangladesh in Dharamsala on October 10.
