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England vs New Zealand tips:
- Any player to score a century – 8/13 Betway
- Mark Wood to be England’s Top Bowler – 4/1 bet365
- Daryl Mitchell To Score 50+ Runs – 9/4 Betway
The 13th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup begins with a rematch of the 2019 final as England and New Zealand face off in Ahmedabad.
England claimed a famous win in a Super Over by the barest of margins to defeat the Black Caps on boundaries scored after the sides could not be separated after 50 overs.
Now, the Three Lions begin the defence of their crown, aiming to join the West Indies and Australia as the only sides to win successive World Cups.
New Zealand will provide a tough examination of their credentials and Kane Williamson’s side will harbour ambitions to go one better than four years ago to win their first title.
Both sides will be looking to get off to a fast start in the round-robin format, with the top four sides advancing to the semi-finals.
So, there is pressure from the off and that should bring out the best in two talented outfits with England considered one of the leading contenders for the crown at 10/3 on UK betting sites while New Zealand are 10/1 outsiders.
England vs New Zealand Cricket World Cup odds and start time
The contest takes place in Ahmedabad at the Norendra Modi Stadium on Thursday 5 October, starting at 9:30am BST. Jos Buttler and his team will hold a slight psychological advantage over the Black Caps after securing a 3-1 series win in England in September.
After losing the opening match of the series, England reeled off three dominant performances to take momentum into the World Cup. As a result, the Three Lions are backed at 4/9 with William Hill to win their opening match of the competition.
New Zealand are priced in at 9/5 at Unibet, although they will be without skipper Kane Williamson for at least the first game, which is a massive blow for their hopes of defeating the holders.
Below you’ll find our top three tips to look out for in the opening match of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Either team to score a century in the match
In the series in England, centuries were scored in three of the four matches and in the only match that didn’t have a player to register three figures, Liam Livingstone posted 95 not out. Both sides are stacked with talented batting units, despite the absence of Williamson.
Dawid Malan is one of the form players in the world entering the tournament and he managed to dislodge Jason Roy to partner Jonny Bairstow at the top of the England order.
Malan scored 127 in the final ODI at Lord’s and has a great record against New Zealand. He will know the Black Caps bowlers extremely well and he has the ability to adapt his game to new conditions.
Even if Malan does not fire, a line-up with Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Bairstow and Buttler is surely too good to not record a century.
The same can be said of New Zealand even without Williamson. Daryl Mitchell has been a thorn in England’s side in the past and he scored a brilliant century in the Black Caps’ win at Sophia Gardens, supported by Devon Conway, who also made three figures.
New Zealand bat deep and Rachin Ravindra flashed his talent down the order with a career-best 61 at Lord’s.
The Cricket World Cup odds of 8/13 with Betway for any player to score a century in the match is our first play.
Tip: Any Player To Score A Century in the Match – 8/13 Betway
Wood to make an impact
Mark Wood was rested for the ODI series against New Zealand in September following his exploits in the Ashes. Wood was a difference-maker with the red ball to bring England back into the series against the Aussies with his raw pace and exuberance on the field. Buttler will want to see the same results out of the pace bowler in the World Cup.
The Durham man was a key cog in England’s triumph in 2019, especially during the middle overs. Buttler may deploy Wood as a strike bowler early on or as his first change option. Pace in the sub-continent is vital especially in limited-overs games.
Wood not only has experience at international level, but also from the IPL. In his four IPL matches in 2023, Wood claimed 11 wickets for the Lucknow Super Giants, including career-best figures of 5-14.
Bet365 have Wood at 4/1 with a bet boost to be England’s top bowler in the opener. Look out for the pace bowler to kick off his World Cup campaign with a top performance.
Tip: Mark Wood to be top England Bowler – 4/1 bet365
Will Mitchell defy England again?
Daryl Mitchell has turned himself into a quality cricketer over the last few years. He came into the Black Caps’ side as an unheralded all-rounder, but he has proven to be an extremely talented batter and, when the time has called, a bowler too.
Mitchell produced a brilliant performance against England in the 2021 World T20 semi-final, scoring an unbeaten 72 to steer Kane Williamson’s men into the final.
In the recent ODI series, Mitchell once again proved to be a tricky customer for Buttler and company to remove. The 32-year-old scored a match-winning century at Sophia Gardens, sharing a brilliant partnership with Devon Conway worth 180 runs.
He also scored a half-century in a losing cause at the Rose Bowl. England will be creating their plans to stifle him in the opening match, but that will be a difficult proposition.
Betway have odds of 3/5 for Mitchell to score 25 or more, or 9/4 for the all-rounder to score 50 or more. Given that Mitchell has scored at least 50 in half of his games against England in ODI cricket, the latter is our preferred bet.
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
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