CWC 2023: "We are looking forward to opening match against our old foes New Zealand," says England skipper Jos Buttler

New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): England skipper Jos Buttler and his team are looking forward to defending their title in India and getting their campaign started in a reboot of the final against the BLACKCAPS.
The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will be the venue of reigning World Champions England's rematch against 2019 finalists New Zealand when they go head-to-head in the opening match of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 on 5 October.
Ahmedabad will also be the venue of England's clash against Australia on 4 November while they take on hosts India in Lucknow on 29 October.
While the defending champions were first-time Cricket World Cup winners in 2019 when they won the trophy at Lord's in front of a sold-out home crowd, they have been runners-up three times.
"We are excited about defending the World Cup in India. This is the pinnacle of white-ball cricket, and the opportunity to achieve something truly extraordinary on Indian soil would be incredible for English cricket," Jos Buttler said to ICC.
"We are looking forward to the tournament's opening match against our old foes New Zealand. It is a repeat of the 2019 final, which gives it extra impetus. There is a real buzz whenever we play the BLACKCAPS, and it usually ends up in a high-class encounter. I expect the same in Ahmedabad for the opener in front of a passionate and fervent crowd. We cannot wait to get started," Buttler signed off.
Ten teams feature in what will be the biggest Cricket World Cup ever, across 10 venues, with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hosting the tournament opener and final.
The other venues are Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune. Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram join Hyderabad in hosting the practice games.
Eight teams have qualified for the 46-day event through the Cricket World Cup Super League while the final two spots will be taken by the finalists of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier taking place in Zimbabwe.
The tournament retains the round-robin format of last time with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches. There are six-day matches in the tournament, which will start at 10h30 local time. All other matches, including the knockouts, will be day-night fixtures starting at 14h00.
The top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals to be played in Mumbai on 15 November and in Kolkata on 16 November. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days. (ANI)