New Zealand’s Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra hit the first centuries of the Cricket World Cup on Thursday in the opening match of the tournament against England.
Left-handed opener Conway made his fifth ODI ton off 83 balls studded with 13 fours and two sixes at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.
The left-hander is the 15th batter to achieve the feat in World Cups and the fourth Kiwi batter after Glenn Turner, Nathan Astle and Scott Styris. Conway reached the mark off just 83 balls on the back of 13 fours and two sixes.
Chennai Super Kings’s batter Conway eventually finished unbeaten on 152, during a thumping nine-wicket win, and registered the fourth-highest score by a World Cup debutant. Conway’s knock was also the highest score by a batter in a successful chase at the World Cup.
Fellow left-hander Ravindra soon followed with his maiden ODI century off 82 balls with nine fours and four sixes.
Set 283 to win by the defending champions, New Zealand lost Will Young for a duck in the second over of the chase but Conway and Ravindra took on the opposition bowlers with a string of boundaries and built a partnership of over 200.
The 13th edition of the World Cup has 10 teams and will run for 45 days in 10 Indian cities with the final in Ahmedabad on November 19.
Devon Conway, Ravindra record 4th-highest World Cup partnership with 273-run stand
Chasing a 283-run total against the defending champion, New Zealand lost opener Will Young for a duck in the second over before Ravindra and Conway teamed up for an unbeaten match-winning stand. Their 273-run stand came off just 211 deliveries.
The left-handed duo counter-attacked against the English seamers and raced to their respective hundreds in their debut World Cup match. Conway and Ravindra became the 15th and 16th batters to score a hundred on their 50-over World Cup debut, respectively.
The second-wicket stand is also the highest and the first 200-plus partnership by a New Zealand pair, breaking the previous highest of 168 by Chris Harris and Lee Germon, set in 1996 against Australia in Chennai.
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