New Zealand crushed holders England by nine wickets with to centuries from left-handed opener Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra.
New Zealand beat England in World Cup: Chasing 283 runs, New Zealand completed the task with ease and 82 balls remaining.
With only 10 runs on the board, the Blackcaps’ opener Will Young was out for a golden duck on the first delivery of the second over, giving them a completely different start to their chase.
The initial setback had no impact on New Zealand because Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway mounted a stunning response.
The two completely outplayed England’s bowlers and put up an unbroken 273-run stand to lead their team to a successful opening of the ICC World Cup 2023.
With a remarkable 152 off just 121 balls, Devon Conway continued to lead the New Zealand scoring with the support of 19 boundaries and three sixes.
On the other hand, Ravindra, who scored 123 runs in just 96 deliveries while hitting 11 boundaries and five sixes, was similarly spectacular.
The only wicket-taker for the reigning world champions, England, was Sam Curran, as the rest of their bowlers battled to stop the Conway-Ravindra baton assault.
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After having the opportunity to bat first, England made a respectable start to its innings before Matt Henry caught Dawid Malan in the eighth over, dismissing him with a score of 40.
After scoring 33 runs off 35 balls, Jonny Bairstow was swiftly caught by Mitchell as he attempted to drive Santner over extra cover.
Harry Brook then joined Joe Root and played a cameo, scoring 25 runs in 16 balls, which included four boundaries and a six. He was caught by Conway while attempting to clear the ropes once more.
Following that, Root and captain Jos Buttler formed a strong partnership, adding 70 runs for the fifth wicket before Matt Henry dismissed Buttler in his second over with the score at 188.
Jos Buttler hit two boundaries and two sixes in his 42-ball 43-run innings.
At 229-7, England found itself in a challenging situation when Glenn Phillips bowled Joe Root, who had already lost his partner Liam Livingstone (20), as he attempted a reverse sweep.
He reached his highest point total of 77 off 84 with the help of four rebounds and one six.
Adil Rashid (15) and Mark Wood (13) added a crucial 30 runs in the last overs to help England reach 252-9 in the 46th over after losing the next two wickets in rapid succession. This gave New Zealand 283 runs to pursue.
With 3-48, Matt Henry led the New Zealand bowling attack, while Michael Santner and Glenn Phillips each claimed two wickets.