AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — New Zealand won the toss and sent England into bat Thursday in a 2019 final rematch to open Cricket World Cup.
Both teams were missing key protagonists from that epic finale four years ago.
England star Ben Stokes is skipping the 2023 opener because of a hip strain. New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson is sidelined owing to insufficient recovery from his knee injury.
England won its first World Cup title when it hosted the last tournament in 2019, awarded the trophy on a countback of boundaries after the final and the subsequent Super Over ended in ties against New Zealand.
Stokes, voted player of that final at Lord's, came out of ODI retirement in August in a bid to play at the World Cup but was always a doubtful starter after straining his left hip. Selectors opted to save him for later in the tournament.
Harry Brook is expected to bat at No. 4 in his absence.
Opener Dawid Malan boasts a stellar recent record against New Zealand, scoring two half-centuries and a century against the Black Caps in the recent ODI series victory at home in September.
But Joe Root’s current form remains a concern for England — he has scored only one half-century in his past nine ODI innings. But he has a distinguished World Cup record with an average of 54.54 and is expected to bat at No. 3.
England picked a balanced attack with Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali in the spin department, and Mark Wood leading the quicks.
Tom Latham is leading New Zealand in the absence of Williamson. Pace bowler Tim Southee, recovering from a thumb injury, was also unavailable for selection.
New Zealand opted for both Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman in the middle order, with left-arm bowling all-rounder Rachin Ravindra also gaining selection.
The Black Caps have bolstered their batting by leaving out wrist spinner Ish Sodhi and pacer Lockie Ferguson, with allrounder James Neesham slotted to bat at No. 9.
The pitch at the 134,000-seater Narendra Modi Stadium is expected to be batting friendly. There could be some spin on offer through the day with little chance of dew later on. Pacer bowlers tend to find movement when the lights come on for the second innings.
India fans will have to wait through four games before the host nation opens its campaign in a day-night match against five-time champion Australia at Chennai on Sunday.
Lineups:
England: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (captain), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (captain), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, James Neesham.Matt Henry, Trent Boult.
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
