ENG vs NZ: Ben Stokes Ruled Out as England Put into Bat in WC Opener

Stokes misses out in the tournament opener [Twitter]

After months of build-up, the World Cup 2023 is finally upon us. 10 teams will fight it out for the coveted World Cup trophy.

The opening contest of the World Cup features the two finalists of the last edition - England and New Zealand. However, even before the match has started, England have been dealted with a huge blow in the form of Ben Stokes. The star player has ruled out of the opening match due to a hip injury. 

Moreover, from New Zealand's perspective, Kane Williamson misses out, and so does Lockie Ferguson.

ENG vs NZ: Toss updates

New Zealand won the coin flip and stand-in captain, Tom Latham elected to bowl first on a batting paradise.

Interestingly, both the teams have gone with a batting heavy side, indicating that the pitch will be a belter. Reece Topley, who performed exceptionally well in the warm-up match against Bangladesh, has also been left out of the team.

Player quotes

Tom Latham: "We are going to bowl first. The surface looks good and later on, we will have a chance to chase it down. The guys have been in different parts of the world. We got together a week earlier and got warm-up games. So the preparation has been good.”

Jos Buttler: "We would have bowled first as well. Yeah, looks like a very good wicket. All are waiting and can't get this started. Really excited about this one.”

Playing XIs

New Zealand Playing XI: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c and wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Jimmy Neesham, Trent Boult, Matt Henry

England Playing XI : Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c and wk), Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

---

ALSO READ

World Cup 2023 Match 1, ENG Vs NZ | Who Will Win?

---