The opening match of the World Cup 2023 witnessed total dominance from New Zealand, as they got sweet revenge for their 2019 World Cup final loss against England. In the highly-anticipated opening match of the 2023 edition, the Black Caps appeared victorious with a resounding nine-wicket victory, marking a concerning beginning to England’s title defense.
England saw themselves batting first and tended to post a score of 282/9. However, this total seemed grossly insufficient as the Kiwis chased it down with nine wickets remaining.
New Zealand showed their batting prowess as they achieved the target in just 36.2 overs, scoring 283-1. Devon Conway, who stayed unbeaten at 152, and Rachin Ravindra, also unbeaten at 123, played key roles in this commanding win. Their partnership of 273 runs for the second wicket was a near-perfect display of batting, rendering England’s total inadequate. Notably, New Zealand achieved this feat without the services of their captain, Kane Williamson, who continues to recover from a knee injury.
Conway’s 100-scored off 83 balls, became the Kiwi’s fastest century at a World Cup – a record that stood shortly – as 23-year-old all-rounder Ravindra exceeded it by reaching his hundred in 82 balls. This victory was sealed after Sam Curran got the wicket of Will Young for a golden duck, cementing New Zealand’s win in a match loaded with excellent performances.
But Conway did inscribe his name in New Zealand history as the quickest to reach 1000 runs in ODIs. He surpassed Glenn Turner and Daryl Mitchell for the accomplishment; while the Kiwi pair took 24 innings to reach the four-figure mark, Conway did it in 22.
Rachin Ravindra accomplished a tremendous landmark by becoming one of the youngest players in cricket history to score a century on their World Cup debut.
