An all-round effort saw New Zealand streamroll past defending champions England in the opening encounter of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023. The match was hosted at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, October 5.
Opting to bowl first, the Kiwis did a fantastic job of restricting England to 282/9 in the first innings. With a batting line-up filled with hard-hitting talents, the reigning champions lost wickets at regular junctures.
Joe Root, who wasn't in the best of form coming into the tournament, was rock solid during his 86-ball 77. However, every other English batter gave away their wickets after enjoying decent starts.
In reply, New Zealand were jolted early as they lost Will Young on a golden duck. However, little did the English team know what was coming their way.
The two left-handers in Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra joined forces and batted out England with sheer exuberance and class. The two Kiwis negotiated both pace and spin masterly and were spotless during their knocks.
Both batters reached to their respective fifties in 36 balls before completing the three-digit mark with aplomb. While Conway scored a blazing 121-ball 152*, Ravindra ended with 123* off just 96 deliveries. They became the first New Zealand pair to score centuries in a single World Cup game as the BlackCaps won the encounter with nine wickets and 82 balls in hand.
Despite the game ending in a lopsided manner, it proved to be an enthralling one. The tournament-opener between England and New Zealand also saw some records broken. Let's take a look at five of them.
#5 Youngest New Zealand player to score a century in ODI World Cups
With Kane Williamson ruling himself out as a precautionary measure for the first game, Rachin Ravindra was slotted at the vital No. 3 spot for New Zealand.
Ravindra, who slammed 97 runs in his side's first warm-up games against Pakistan, continued his form and dished out a brilliant knock of 123* runs against England.
Ravindra featured in just 12 ODIs going into the today's clash but showcased his talent by soaking up pressure and delivering a brilliant hundred.
Aged just 23 years and 291 days old, he also became the youngest New Zealand player to hit a century in an ODI World Cup game, surpassing Nathan Astle on the list.
Astle scored his maiden ODI World Cup hundred at the age of 24 years and 152 days old against England in 1992.
Moreover, Rachin completed his century in 82 balls, which the fastest ODI World Cup hundred for New Zealand.
#4 Highest partnership for New Zealand in ODI World Cup history
When England got Will Young out in the second over, they would've thought to cause more damage to the New Zealand batting line-up. However, they were bamboozled by some magnificent batting by Conway and Ravindra.
The two left-handers added up 273 runs in just 35.1 overs for the second wicket. Their 273-run stand is now the highest-ever partnership for New Zealand for any wicket in their ODI World Cup history.
The record was previously held by the pair of Lee Germon and Chris Harris when the two stitched up a 160-run partnership for the fourth wicket against Australia at the 1996 World Cup.
#3 First player to score 150+ runs in a successful run-chase in ODI World Cup
Devon Conway was at his authoritative best as he hammered the English bowlers all around the park. He used his bottom hand to perfect and showed his class by punishing both spin and pace equally.
Conway completed his century in 83 balls and scored his next 52 runs in just 38 balls. He ended up with his career-best score of 152* runs. In doing so, he became the first-ever player to reach the 150-run mark during a successful run chase in ODI World Cup history.
Previously, Lahiru Thirimmane's 139* runs against England in 2015 were the highest on the list.
It is pertinent to note that England's Andrew Strauss scored 158 runs in a World Cup match against India during a run chase. However, that game ended in a tie, hence it is not included on this list.
#2 Highest partnership while chasing in an ODI World Cup match
Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, who both amassed a stand of 273* runs, also broke the record for stitching up the highest partnership during a run-chase in an ODI World Cup match.
They broke the record set by Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga, who both partnered up to add 231* runs in a run-chase against England during the 2011 World Cup.
Conway and Ravindra's 273-run stand is now also the fourth-highest partnership in the history of the tournament.
#1 First-ever ODI with all 11 players of a team reaching to double figures
While it was a forgettable day for England, they did set up a unique record in the tournament opener against New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
Batting first, England made 282/9 with all of their 11 players getting to bat. Interestingly, all of them crossed the 10-run mark, setting up the first instance where all 11 players of a team reach double-digit scores in one-day cricket history.
Over 4,600 ODIs have been played to date, but this is the first time that this rare feat has occurred.
Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news