ICC World Cup 2023: Empty stands for England vs New Zealand opener sparks social media outrage

ICC World Cup 2023: The biggest cricket tournament of the world finally kicked off with England facing New Zealand in the inaugural match at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. There was much excitement about the first match of ICC World Cup 2023, but the response on the ground was subdued as many chairs remained empty at the world biggest cricket stadium.

England vs New Zealand Live Score, World Cup 2023 Updates

The empty seats at the Narendra Modi Stadium reflected poor for the much created hype of the ICC World Cup 2023. The social media users responded to the empty stands with people wondering when was the last time a World Cup opener received such a soft response. Some even mentioned that Wankhede Stadium would have got much better response as the World Cup opener.

Here are some social media reactions:

Some users also pointed out that the response could have been better if the organisers started the ticket sales in advance as people could have travelled from other states.

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England vs New Zealand

New Zealand skipper Tom Latham won the toss and chose to field first with Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Milan opening the innings for England. Jonny Bairstow started the innings on an explosive note as he smashed a massive six in the first over. But, soon New Zealand bowlers bounced back as Matt Henry dismissed Dawid Malan. 

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Even after loosing one wicket, English batters continued the onslaught with frequent boundaries, but New Zealand bowlers didn't came under pressure. Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra took one wicket each to derail the English batting. Jonny Bairstow was dismissed on 33 while Harry Brook went back to pavilion at an individual score of 25. 

Currently, both England and New Zealand are showing good cricket and after 20 overs, England is playing on 112/3 with Joe Root and Moen Ali on crease.