England v New Zealand: Cricket World Cup 2023 opener – live

So the story begins. Ten teams, 45 days, 48 matches and not a single boundary countback: the 2023 World Cup is upon us. The hosts are usually involved on opening night, but for the BCCI’s chief schedulers, a rematch of the greatest ever ODI final proved irresistible.

The tournament starts with England v New Zealand in Ahmedabad – just as it did, a little weirdly, the last time the hosts weren’t involved in the first game. That was in 1996, when England were living on a different white-ball planet (or, rather, commuting from Planet Red Ball). This year they start as holders of both white-ball trophies and second favourites behind the hosts India.

The format – everybody plays everybody, with the top four going through to the semi-finals – makes this World Cup a marathon, not a sprint. But it’s still important to get out of the blocks apace. England know from the (mercifully transitory) horrors of 2019 that an early defeat can be a significant sliding door.

England and New Zealand have the oldest squads in the tournament, a slightly droopy nose ahead of Australia. That comes with obvious benefits and potential weaknesses. Over the next six weeks, starting today, we’ll find out where they are in relation to the top of the hill.

England already sit proudly at the top table of great white-ball teams. If they win this tournament, they’ll have a case for being the greatest of them all.

The match starts at 9.30am BST, 2pm in Ahmedabad.