New Zealand to bowl against Stokes-less England in World Cup opener

NEW ZEALAND won the toss and put defending champions England in to bat in the World Cup opener on Thursday (5) with the English missing their talisman Ben Stokes due to a hip injury.

The clash, at the world's biggest cricket stadium in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, is a rematch of the epic 2019 final when England won a tied game on boundary countback.

Tom Latham leads New Zealand, who will be without regular captain Kane Williamson and pace bowler Tim Southee, both recovering from injuries.

Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson is also out due to a niggle.

"Looks a reasonably good surface. Hopefully later on it gets better to bat," Latham said at the toss. "Preparation has been great."

England skipper Jos Buttler confirmed Stokes is out with a "niggle with his hip".

Harry Brook comes in for Stokes, who was selected for the World Cup as a specialist batsman but will be unable to bowl due to a long-standing knee injury.

Buttler said they would have bowled first had he won the toss.

"Looks a really good wicket. Preparation has been okay," said Buttler.

"Had a good series against New Zealand at home. Very proud of the achievement four years ago."

Teams

England: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (wk/capt), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk/capt), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Matt Henry, Mitchell Santner, James Neesham, Trent Boult

(AFP)