Records tumble as New Zealand makes a mockery of England’s score

New Zealand registered a comfortable win against defending champions England in the opening match of the ICC Cricket World Cup in Ahmedabad. Chasing a target of 283 the Blackcaps got off to a shaky start as opener Will Young was dismissed early. England might have seen a ray of hope after getting a good start with the ball but their joy was cut short by an unbeaten partnership between Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. 

Ravindra especially was more aggressive of the two as he started playing his shots right from the word go. The standout feature of his innings was his battle with English fast bowler Mark Wood.

Wood who was bowling at 150 KPH was taken to the cleaners by Rachin Ravindra who was playing the first match of his World Cup career as he looked to hit him straight down the ground which is considered to be the safest place to hit the ball on a cricket ground. Devon Conway who was batting at the other end also joined the party as the duo took on the spinners who were considered to be a threat on a slow wicket.

A lot of records were broken during the unbeaten match-winning partnership between Conway and Ravindra. 

Here’s a look at all the records made and broken during the match

82- Rachin Ravindra became the fastest centurion for New Zealand in World Cup history when the left-hander completed his century in just 82 balls

23- Ravindra becomes the youngest New Zealand batter to score a century in the World Cup surpassing Nathan Astle. The all-rounder is 23 years and 291 years old

273- Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra added 273 runs for the second wicket which is the highest partnership for any wicket for New Zealand in World Cup history. The record was previously held by the pair of Lee Germon and Chris Harris when the two stitched up a 160-run partnership for the fourth wicket against Australia at the 1996 World Cup.

150- Devon Conway scored a century off just 83 balls and remained unbeaten on 152. The left-hander became the first player to score 150 runs in a successful run chase in the World Cup.

273- Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra added 273 runs for the second wicket which is the highest partnership while chasing in World Cup history. They broke the record set by Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga, who both partnered up to add 231* runs in a run-chase against England during the 2011 World Cup. Conway and Ravindra's 273-run stand is now also the fourth-highest partnership in the history of the tournament. 

11- England created a unique record with all 11 batters reaching double-digit figures. Over 4,600 ODIs have been played to date, but this is the first time that this rare feat has occurred. 

What They Said

The emotions were contrasting in both camps after the match which was evident in the post-match presentation. On one hand, England’s captain Jos Buttler was visibly disappointed after his team’s performance on the other hand New Zealand’s stand-in captain Tom Latham was elated with the win

Tom Latham( Winning Captain)

 “It was obviously a fantastic performance and we’ve seen a fantastic partnership between Rachin and Devon, but I think it was set up at the start by the bowlers, who did a fantastic job to restrict them to below-par on that surface.”

“The likes of the two seamers, Matt Henry and Trent Boult, did a fantastic job up top. 

With England you know they’re going to come hard and are going to keep coming hard throughout the whole innings. “I thought the way we were able to take wickets at crucial times, with guys chipping in when we needed them to and bowled some tough overs and managed to get some rewards. To restrict them to that from the position they were in was outstanding.”

Rachin Ravindra (Player of the Match): “It was great to have a great day out.”

The bowlers bowled really well to restrict them to 280, and luckily enough I had Devon out there to show me how to do it which was pretty cool. “I’ve spent a lot of time with Dev, we’re close mates. It’s very special to be able to see that moment with him and spend so much time at the crease with him, which probably helped and meant I was a little bit more comfortable than I could have been.”

Cover Credits: CricCafe