Why is Lockie Ferguson missing today's match?

New Zealand have opted to bowl first after winning the toss in the much-anticipated World Cup 2023 opener against England. However, they are without their two key bowlers, Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson. While Southee had suffered from an injury in the last series, Ferguson has got a niggle too.

What did Latham say about Ferguson?

Tom Latham, the stand-in captain for New Zealand in the absence of Kane Williamson in today’s match against England revealed during the toss, “Unfortunately Kane’s not quite ready yet. Ferguson has got a bit of a niggle. Sodhi, Kane, Southee all miss out.”

Kane Williamson is yet to recover from a hip injury while Tim Southee is recovering from the thumb injury he sustained during the last bilateral series against England. No wonder, Ferguson’s injury has added to the injury worries of the New Zealand team. However, Latham sounded confident after winning the toss as he explained, “Going to have a bowl. Looks a reasonably good surface. Hopefully later on it gets better to bat. Preparation has been great. Guys came together from different parts of the world a week ago.”

See More: Why is Ben Stokes not playing against New Zealand?

New Zealand to face England in WC opener

The defending champions England are up against New Zealand in the World Cup opener in the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. No wonder after their World Cup final face-off in 2019 that saw England claiming the World Cup eventually by boundary counts, this match is a clash of titans fans cannot wait to witness.

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