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The much-awaited 2023 World Cup (WC) opener is taking place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, October 5. The opener is a repeat of the 2019 WC final between the defending champions England and runners-up New Zealand.
Surprisingly, the world’s biggest cricket stadium failed to garner the attention of the fans as empty stands were seen in the opener. That came even as the tickets were available for as low as Rs 1,000. The tickets were even available during the game. No opening ceremony also added to the disappointment of the fans.
Unlike the 2023 World Cup, the Indian Premier League 2023 opener between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings was sold out earlier this year.
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Fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) were surprised to witness empty stands for the WC opener. Here are some of the other reactions:
New Zealand won the toss and opted to bowl against England in 2023 World Cup opener
New Zealand stand-in captain Tom Latham won the toss and opted to bowl first against England in the 2023 World Cup opener.
At the toss, he said:
“Going to have a bowl. Looks a reasonably good surface. Hopefully later on it gets better to bat. Preparation has been great. Guys came together from different parts of the world a week ago. Unfortunately, Kane's not quite ready yet. Ferguson has got a bit of a niggle. Sodhi, Kane, Southee all miss out.”
England captain Jos Buttler added:
“Would've bowled first as well. Looks a really good wicket. Preparation has been okay. Had a good series against NZ at home. Very proud of the achievement four years ago. Ben's going to miss this game. Has a niggle with his hip. Guys missing out are Atkinson, Topley, Willey, and Stokes."
Playing XI:
New Zealand's XI: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (capt/wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Trent Boult
England XI: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (capt/wk), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
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