England vs New Zealand, 1st Match: The First Thrilling Showdown of the ICC ODI World Cup
Get ready for the exciting kickoff of the ICC ODI World Cup! Defending champions England (ENG) are set to take on New Zealand (NZ) in the tournament’s first match on Thursday, October 5th at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. But here’s the twist – England might face a big setback before this high-voltage match, as their star player Ben Stokes won’t be playing due to an injury.
It turns out that England’s star, Ben Stokes, won’t be able to join the action in the opening match against New Zealand because of a hip injury. Captain Jos Buttler confirmed this news, saying, ‘This is not the time to take risks.’ He added, ‘He (Stokes) has a slight injury in his hip.’
Butler explained, ‘He’s working hard with the physio, but if he’s not fit to play, we can’t take any chances, especially at the beginning of the tournament. It’s a long tournament ahead.’
Ben Stokes was initially selected as a batsman for the World Cup after his role as a bowler was affected by a knee injury. If Stokes can’t play, Harry Brook might step in for his seventh ODI since his debut in January.
Butler praised the 24-year-old Brook, saying, ‘Brook’s international career started in T20 and Test formats. We all know what a fantastic player he is. While he hasn’t played a lot of ODI cricket, this format suits him well. It’s a chance for him to showcase his batting skills and score big runs.’ The suspense builds as England prepares for a challenging start to their World Cup campaign.
England team full squad:
Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk/c), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Harry Brook, Gus Atkinson, Reece Topley, David Willey.
New Zealand team full squad:
Devon Conway, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Tom Latham (wk/captain), Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Mitchell Santner, James Neesham.
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