New Zealand’s ODI World Cup openers: A mixed bag of results
The Black Caps have a mixed record in their ODI World Cup openers. They have won five of their 12 opening matches, lost six, and one match was washed out.
New Zealand’s first ODI World Cup opening match was in 1975 against Sri Lanka. They lost the match by 10 wickets.
New Zealand’s first ODI World Cup victory in an opening match came in 1979 against England. They won the match by eight wickets.
New Zealand’s most recent ODI World Cup opening match was in 2019 against Sri Lanka. They won the match by 10 wickets.
New Zealand’s ODI World Cup opening match record
Year | Opponent | Result | Margin
1975 | Sri Lanka | Loss | 10 wickets
1979 | England | Win | 8 wickets
1983 | India | Loss | 5 wickets
1987 | Australia | Loss | 102 runs
1992 | South Africa | Win | 116 runs
1996 | Sri Lanka | Loss | 5 wickets
1999 | England | Win | 9 wickets
2003 | Australia | Loss | 10 wickets
2007 | Sri Lanka | Loss | 7 wickets
2011 | Sri Lanka | Win | 10 wickets
2015 | Sri Lanka | Win | 9 wickets
2019 | Sri Lanka | Win | 10 wickets
Analysis of New Zealand’s ODI World Cup opening match record
New Zealand’s record in ODI World Cup openers is mixed. They have won five of their 12 opening matches, lost six, and one match was washed out.
New Zealand have a good record against Sri Lanka in ODI World Cup openers, having won all three of their matches against them. However, they have a poor record against Australia in ODI World Cup openers, having lost all three of their matches against them.
New Zealand’s best performance in an ODI World Cup opening match was in 2019, when they beat Sri Lanka by 10 wickets. Their worst performance in an ODI World Cup opening match was in 1983, when they lost to India by 5 wickets.
Conclusion:
New Zealand have a mixed record in their ODI World Cup openers. They have won five of their 12 opening matches, lost six, and one match was washed out.
New Zealand will be hoping to start their 2023 ODI World Cup campaign on a winning note when they face England in the opening match. They will need to be at their best to beat a strong England team.
Additional thoughts:
New Zealand’s record in ODI World Cup openers is not as impressive as some of the other top teams in the world. However, they have shown that they are capable of beating any team on their day.
New Zealand will be hoping to start their 2023 ODI World Cup campaign on a winning note when they face England in the opening match. They will need to be at their best to beat a strong England team.
If New Zealand can win their opening match, it will give them a lot of confidence going into the rest of the tournament.