England vs New Zealand, 1st Match, ODI World Cup 2023: Head-to-Head Player Battles to Watch

The ICC ODI World Cup 2023 will begin on October 5, 2023. The opening match of the tournament will see defending champions England taking on New Zealand. The encounter will be hosted at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. 

Two of the best teams in white-ball cricket will clash in front of over 132,000 fans to kick off the biggest extravaganza of cricket. England and New Zealand played a humdinger of a final in World Cup 2019 at Lord’s. And something similar will be expected when they clash in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

There will be some big-name players on both sides and some matchups are mouth-watering for the fans to gorge on when these two teams face off.

Here are the 3 player battles to watch out for in the England vs. New Zealand ODI World Cup 2023 opener:

3. Moeen Ali vs. Tom Latham

Moeen Ali against Tom Latham will be a huge battle when England and New Zealand meet. Tom Latham will be captaining the New Zealand side as he confirmed that Kane Williamson will not be playing in the Cricket World Cup opener in Ahmedabad. On the other hand, Moeen Ali will look to make an impact in what can be his final World Cup tournament.

Moeen Ali has dismissed Latham three times in seven ODI innings. On the other hand, Tom Latham has scored 58 runs in 68 balls bowled by Moeen Ali. This proves that the battle between the two cricketers will be an interesting one. The Ahmedabad pitch is pretty batting-friendly and Latham will love batting on it. But Ali has experience bowling on that surface in IPL, probably holding the upper hand.