2023 ICC Cricket World Cup: New Zealand destroys England in a thrilling chase for runs

New Zealand defeated England, the reigning champions, handily in their World Cup opener thanks to opener Devon Conway and all-rounder Rachin Ravindra. The Kiwi pair, chasing a challenging 283 runs, demonstrated a mastery of batting as Ravindra amassed a remarkable 123 off 96 deliveries and Conway continued to be undefeated with a career-best 152* off 121 balls.

In addition to helping New Zealand beat England, Ravindra and Conway's historic 273-run stand cemented their place in World Cup history as the fourth-highest combination ever.

New Zealand's acting captain, Tom Latham, chose to field first after winning the toss.

The English batsmen continued to lose wickets often, despite former captain Joe Root's valiant 77 off 86 balls to attempt and steady the innings.

The best bowler was Matt Henry, who took three wickets in his ten overs while conceding just 48 runs. Mitchell Santner, an off-spinner, bowled admirably as well, taking two wickets at a cost of just 37 runs. Remarkably, during the entire innings, he did not give up a single boundary.

In the second over, opener Will Young was dismissed by Sam Curran, giving New Zealand a bad start to their chase. But what happened next was sheer devastation as Conway and Ravindra put up a 273-run partnership and needed just 78 balls to reach the target.

Rachin Ravindra's breakthrough century, which featured five enormous sixes and eleven fours, earned him the title of Player of the Match.

England's final score was 282-9 (50.0).

36.4 New Zealand: 283-1