ICC World Cup Begins Today: England eye fiery start against injury-hit Kiwis

A golden generation of England cricketers who have transformed the white ball format template forever will begin their 50-over World Cup title defence against an injury-battered New Zealand in a repeat of the 2019 final here on Thursday. England are an ageing side alright, but few will dare to bet their green bills against Jos Buttler's outfit to add a third World Cup to their shelf in four years, as they are also the current T20 World Cup holders.

Trying to win that elusive ICC World Cup, New Zealand will be in a state of worry for more than one reason. They will not have captain Kane Williamson, who though had played the warm-ups, and senior pacer Tim Southee in their ranks as both are still on the recovery path after respective surgeries. Southee's fitness will be monitored closely as he is recuperating from a recent surgery on his fractured thumb.

He had dislocated his finger during the ODI series against England. But that is only a tip of their bigger concerns. The Ahmedabad pitch is generally an ally of batsmen, and England have a bionic batting line-up for whom skull-crushing their rivals is a favoured hobby. The whole ferocity surrounding their batting has only gone up after the return of Ben Stokes, as he had decided to come out of retirement for the big event.

The maverick all-rounder has a troublesome knee that may curtail his role as a bowler in the tournament, but Stokes loves big occasions.