‘Kya batting hai yr, maza aa gaya’ – Fans react as Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra’s destructive ton help New Zealand beat England in 2023 World Cup opener
New Zealand annihilated England in revenge for their heartbreaking defeat in the 2019 final. In an absolutely dominating show, the Black Caps registered a thumping 9-wicket victory over the defending champions on Thursday, October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Fans expected the 2023 ODI World Cup to open with a thrilling encounter, but Kiwi left-handers Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra made it a one-sided affair.
New Zealand stand-in captain Tom Latham won the toss and sent England to bat first. Pacer Matt Henry drew the first by removing Dawid Malan in the eighth over. The Kiwi bowlers did not allow any of the English batters to settle down at the crease as they took wickets at regular intervals. Apart from Joe Root (77 off 86 balls) and captain Jos Buttler (43 off 42 balls), none of the other batters could find any resistance.
The Three Lions were restricted to 282-9 in 50 overs. However, they set a world record with all their players hitting double-figure scores – becoming the first team to do so in an ODI innings. Henry picked up three wickets, while Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips took two wickets in each. Failure of big partnerships and individual scores meant England could not put up a challenging score on the board.
Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra hit centuries against a clueless English bowling
Chasing a respectable total, New Zealand had an early setback with Sam Curran dismissing Will Young for a golden duck in the second over. England hoped to gain the upper hand from there, but Conway and Ravindra had other plans. The left-handed pair put on an unbeaten 273-run partnership to thrash the “bearest of margins” winners in just 36.2 overs. The two made English bowlers clueless with their attacking game and smashed centuries in their maiden ODI World Cup.
Speaking after their thumping win, Player of the Match Rachin Ravindra said: “Great to have a great day. Boys bowled and fielded well to restrict them to 280. Luckily I had Devon out there to show me how to do it. (I am) Very very close with Devon. Special to finish it off with him. 4-5 years ago, we all knew Devon would become the player he is. Above all he’s a great guy. Good to get the opportunity. We’ll see what happens. I’m actually quite a good sleeper luckily. There was some swing, but the surface was really good to bat on.”
Here’s how fans reacted to New Zealand’s win over England in the 2023 World Cup opener:
Absolutely Sensational..!! Fearless batting by both lefties and off course NRR is always very crucial in big tournaments..! Spectacular start for kewis on a batting paradise 🔥 #ENGvNZ
— Rana Tariq Manj (@RanaTariqManj2) October 5, 2023
New Zealand shut everyone's mouths who were saying England would win this match for sure.
— Hamza Tariq (@_HamzaPro) October 5, 2023
This is not just a win, this is an annihilation. You just have to love New Zealand. What a wonderful start of World cup 2023 in India. Long live ODI cricket.
— Satya Prakash (@Satya_Prakash08) October 5, 2023
This is some serious dominance
— Aditya Raj (@smiling_gupta08) October 5, 2023
Nz won by boundaries count 😉
— sarc.bhanu🫡:-) (@sarc_bhanuu) October 5, 2023
And some pundits were ruling NZ out of the semis 🤣🤣
— 🇷 🇦 🇭 🇺 🇱 (@Rahulchopra555) October 5, 2023
England weakness is their bowling & if there batsman fails to score big, they always going to struggle
— Kapil (@kapilcool07) October 5, 2023
That's a proper hammering for the boundary count cheaters
— Mohamed Syed (@syedmohamed673) October 5, 2023
