2023 World Cup Fantasy League: Best Fantasy XI for Match 1 - ENG vs NZ - 5th Oct, 2023 | World Cup Fantasy Tips

England and New Zealand face off in the curtain-raiser of the 2023 Cricket World Cup on Thursday, October 5, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It's a rematch of the contentious 2019 CWC Final, and while four years have passed, many of the core players of both teams remain the same.

The hype for the 2023 World Cup might not be as much as it has been for previous editions, but it still remains a prized period in the calendars of every cricket fan. As it makes its return after four long years, it's not the only thing that does.

The Official Fantasy cricket game of the World Cup also begins with the ENG-NZ clash and will run throughout the season, with managers having to make transfers to their team ahead of every match.

So, let's look at the best Fantasy XI ahead of the first match of the 2023 World Cup's Season-Long Fantasy league.

Transfer Deadline: 01:30 PM IST on Thursday, October 5.

Note: The recommended team in the article is subject to changes based on the toss and team news. Such changes will be updated in the article for the next Matchday.

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2023 World Cup Fantasy - Best Fantasy XI for Match 1 - ENG vs NZ: Thoughts and Captaincy Tips

Best 2023 World Cup Fantasy Team for Match 1 - ENG vs NZ

Wicketkeepers: Jonny Bairstow (WK) (ENG) and Devon Conway (WK) (NZ)

Batters: Temba Bavuma (BAT) (SA), Babar Azam (BAT) (PAK), and Joe Root (BAT) (ENG).

All-Rounders: Daryl Mitchell (ALL) (NZ) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (ALL) (BAN).

Bowlers: Trent Boult (BOWL) (NZ), Shaheen Afridi (BOWL) (PAK), Rashid Khan (BOWL) (AFG), and Adil Rashid (BOWL) (ENG).

The first thing to note about this edition of the Season-Long Fantasy is that the player prices aren't restrictive. No player is priced above nine credits, and as a result, you can get the 11 best players in your team without a problem as long as your team meets the player positional requirements, (i.e) having a minimum of one WK, three BATs, one ALL, and three BOWLs in your team at all times.

That does take a bit of the edge surrounding the game and makes it more possible for teams to have more of the same players. It also increases the importance of captaincy picks and when one uses their boosters.

With that out of the way, I'll begin talking about the opening team I have, and as always, I'm not too confident about it. We have 135 transfers for 44 matches, and that averages out to a little more than 3/match. Therefore, I've gone for an opening team composition of 6 players from M1, 2 each from M2 and M3, and one from M4.

Now, given the quality wicket-keeper batters who will take the field in this game and the good batting conditions, this would be an excellent game to play the 'Power Wicket-Keeper' booster in. I am definitely considering this move and will take a call on it closer to the match, but for now, I'm choosing to play it safe at the start and build a more traditional team.

Let me first get the players from the other matches out of the way.

With Shakib potentially injured for Bangladesh's first match, I'm going with the side's next most influential player, Mehidy Hasan Miraz. He's going to have an outstanding tournament with both bat and ball and could well be Bangladesh's standout performer after Shakib. Rashid Khan is an easy pick from Afghanistan.

Pakistan should make light work of the Netherlands, and for now, I'm picking one batter and one bowler in Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi. Temba Bavuma is someone I really like to watch, and he's a neat differential pick from the SA-SL clash.

Now for M1 - ENG vs NZ, Devon Conway and Jonny Bairstow are pretty much must-haves, but I'm really tempted by Dawid Malan's form too. However, Trent Boult is in brilliant form, and I do expect early wickets from him. That's why I'm picking Root over Malan and also getting Boult in the team.

Adil Rashid is my England bowler of choice. He's a very underrated bowler in white-ball cricket, and I think both he and Adam Zampa will have a great World Cup. Daryl Mitchell at No. 4 could enjoy batting in these conditions and could prove the difference-maker for the Kiwis.

Captaincy for Match 1:

I'm backing the batters to come good in this first game, and that's why Conway, Bairstow, Root, and Mitchell are the players I'm considering for captaincy. Facing Trent Boult under lights can be a daunting prospect for any batter, and that's why I'd prefer to captain Bairstow or Root if England bat first.

The same can honestly be said for Conway and Mitchell, although I'd gladly back Conway in a run-chase too.

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2023 World Cup Fantasy - Best Fantasy XI for Match 1 - ENG vs NZ: Final Lineup

Wicketkeepers: Jonny Bairstow (WK) (ENG) and Devon Conway (WK) (NZ).

Batters: Temba Bavuma (BAT) (SA), Babar Azam (BAT) (PAK), and Joe Root (BAT) (ENG).

All-Rounders: Daryl Mitchell (ALL) (NZ) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (ALL) (BAN).

Bowlers: Trent Boult (BOWL) (NZ), Shaheen Afridi (BOWL) (PAK), Rashid Khan (BOWL) (AFG), and Adil Rashid (BOWL) (ENG).

Note: Players highlighted in bold are likely to play in the first match.