On Thursday, October 5, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 finally began as England and New Zealand battled it out in the opening match. Tom Latham, the captain of New Zealand, called England to bat first after winning the toss. When Matt Henry removed starter Dawid Malan from the game in the eighth over of the innings, the choice was vindicated.
After Malan was dismissed, Joe Root, England’s most dependable batter, came to the plate and immediately got things going. The most extravagant shot in Root’s arsenal was released when he reverse-scooped Trent Boult for a huge six over third man on the 12th ball of his innings. Everyone in the crowd gasped when Root made his World Cup debut with the shot.
Watch Joe Root Reverse-Scoop shot here:
View this post on Instagram
Joe Root Arrived in Wc
with his Trademark Shot #ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/4h87w7icXU
— Sam𝕏 (@ROHITKU67268135) October 5, 2023
Earlier in the innings, Jonny Bairstow gave the World Cup an incredible start by hitting Trent Boult for a six with the very first ball of the competition. In addition, he hit a boundary with the fifth ball of the innings to add another 12 runs to his total from the opening over of the competition.
Prior to being bowled out by Mitchell Santner in the 13th over, Bairstow had amassed a score of 33 (35) in his innings with the help of four fours and a six. Harry Brook entered at number four after being fired, and he immediately started scoring freely. He did, however, play one shot too many in his innings and was caught by Devon Conway at deep mid-wicket.
Joe Root reaches his 37th ODI century
After 17 over, the 24-year-old was out for 25 (16), putting his team on 94/3. In addition to falling short, Moeen Ali lost his stumps to Glenn Phillips, leaving England in trouble at 118/4 after 21.2 overs. The England batting order was stabilized by Joe Root and Jos Buttler’s (43 off 42) 70-run partnership.
But the pair couldn’t last for long as Buttler was removed by Matt Henry, who forced him to edge a ball straight to wicketkeeper Tom Latham. Joe Root (72* off 77) and Liam Livingstone (20* off 17) were at the crease as England reached 221/5 after 38 overs.
India
