3 amazing similarities in New Zealand’s wins in the opening match of the 2023 and 1992 World Cups

New Zealand thumped England by nine wickets in the opening match of the 2023 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

In what was a disappointingly one-sided contest, the Kiwis won the toss and invited England to bat first. New Zealand kept picking up wickets at regular intervals to reduce the English side to 229/7 by the start of the 42nd over. However, some resistance from the lower order lifted England to 282/9.

Pacer Matt Henry impressed for New Zealand, registering figures of 3/48, while spinners Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips claimed two scalps apiece. For England, Joe Root top-scored with 77 off 86 balls, while skipper Jos Buttler contributed 43 off 42 deliveries.

Chasing 283 for victory, New Zealand lost Will Young early, but there was not much joy for England thereafter. Devon Conway (152* off 121) and Rachin Ravindra (123* off 96) added an unbroken 273 for the second wicket as the Kiwis cruised home in 36.2 overs.

Interestingly, there were some amazing similarities between New Zealand’s wins in the opening match of the 2023 World Cup and that of the 1992 World Cup. Take a look.

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#1 New Zealand defeated the defending champions in both matches

The Kiwis celebrate a wicket against England. (Pic: AP)

England are the defending champions in the ongoing World Cup. They lifted the trophy in 2019 by ‘beating’ New Zealand in the final at Lord’s. The Kiwis batted first in the 2019 World Cup final and posted 241/8 on the board in their 50 overs as Henry Nicholls top-scored with 55.

England were struggling at 86/4 in the chase, but Ben Stokes’ brilliant 84* ensured a tie. The match went into the Super Over, which also ended in a tie. However, England were crowned world champions at home on the basis of the boundary count rule.

In the opening match of the 1992 World Cup as well, the Kiwis beat then-defending champions Australia, who had lifted the World Cup in India in 1987. The Aussies and New Zealand were co-hosts of the 1992 World Cup and took on each other in the opening game of the tournament at Eden Park in Auckland.

Skipper Martin Crowe led from the front for New Zealand, scoring a wonderful 100 off 134 balls, hitting 11 fours. Ken Rutherford chipped in with 57 off 71 as the Kiwis posted a competitive 248/6 in their 50 overs.

In reply, Australian opener David Boon also struck 100 off 133 balls. The chasing side, however, fell way short of the target. They were all out for 211 as New Zealand clinched a famous win by 37 runs.

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#2 One of the New Zealand openers was dismissed for a golden duck

England's players celebrate the dismissal of Will Young. (Pic: AP)

In both the 2023 and 1992 World Cup opening matches, one of New Zealand’s openers was dismissed for a golden duck. In the match on Thursday in Ahmedabad, the Kiwis lost Will Young to the first ball he faced.

The batter tried to tickle a ball that was bowled down the leg side but ended up getting strangled and offered a catch to the England keeper. It was the last stroke of luck for the defending champions in the match.

In the 1992 World Cup game, New Zealand lost John Wright for a golden duck. In that game as well, the Kiwi opener got a ball down the leg side from Australian pacer Craig McDermott. He tried to work it away for some runs but instead ended up getting bowled.

The batting side managed to recover from the early blow courtesy of skipper Crowe’s brilliance.

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#3 Both Kiwi batting line-ups featured a member of the Latham family

Tom Latham (right) poses with his father Rod Latham. (Pic: Getty Images)

With Kane Williamson unavailable for the opening match of the 2023 World Cup, Tom Latham led the Kiwis against England. He was impressive with his bowling changes and played his role in ensuring the English side did not post a mammoth total. He was not needed to bat as Conway and Ravindra struck unbeaten tons.

Incidentally, Latham’s father, Rod, was part of New Zealand’s playing XI in the 1992 World Cup opener against Australia. Rod opened the batting with Wright and contributed 26 off 44 balls, hitting four fours.

Unlike his son, Rod was a right-handed batter, who played four Tests and 33 ODIs, scoring 219 and 583 runs respectively.