Cricket World Cup 2023: Conway, Ravindra show as New Zealand demolish England by nine wickets in opener

New Zealand led by Matt Henry (3/48) bowlers scripted a clinical performance in the first innings to restrict England to a score of 282/9. Then they rode on blistering hundreds by Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindran to complete the chase in the 37th over.

Ahmedabad (Gujarat): Devon Conway (152 not out) and Rachin Ravindra (123 not out) made a mockery of the chase as New Zealand thrashed defending champions England by nine wickets in the opening match of the 2023 World Cup here on Thursday.

It was a pure batting masterclass from Conway, who hammered 19 boundaries and three maximums, and Ravindra, whose 96-ball knock was laced with 11 fours and five sixes, as the Kiwis completed the chase with 13.4 overs to spare. The duo made the chase look like a walk in the park and sparred no English bowlers. The duo conjured an unbroken 273-run stand for the second wicket.

It was raining boundaries and sixes at the Narendra Modi Stadium here. Earlier, New Zealand bowlers justified their stand-in captain Tom Latham's decision to bowl first by restricting England to a total of 282 in the first game of the 2023 World Cup.

After being invited to bat first, England openers Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan started the proceedings, while pacer Trent Boult was handed the new ball. The Bairstow-Malan duo stuck to their team's policy to attack from the start and stitched together 40 runs from the 45 balls and kept the run rate around 6 runs per over, However, Matt Henry showed some seam movement to send Malan back to the dressing room on 14.

After that, the trio of Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook and Moeen Ali soon followed Malan's footsteps and England was reduced to 118/4. Seasoned campaigner Joe Root was batting brilliantly on a sluggish pitch and was looking solid while playing from one end, despite losing partners. After losing their first four wickets, Joe Root and skipper Jos Buttler joined forces to carve a 70-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Buttler departed on a score of 43 and England suffered a continuous collapse after that. England was eventually restricted to 282/9.

Joe Root was the star of the show for England as his knock of 77 off 86 balls played an important role in the side crossing the 250-run mark. For New Zealand, Matt Henry was the pick of the bowlers taking three wickets. He was well supported by Mitchell Santner (2/37) and Glenn Phillips (2/17). Pacer Trent Boult played his role to perfection and ended with figures of 1/48. Rachin Ravindra (1/76) was a tad expensive.