Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad Pitch Report & Weather Forecast for ENG vs NZ, 1st ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Match

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Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is all set for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 opener - a rematch of the last edition's final between England and New Zealand on Thursday (October 5).

Jos Buttler-led England come into the match with just one warm up match under their belt, while the New Zealand side, who will be led by Tom Latham in the absence of Kane Williamson, have played two warm up games heading into the tournament curtain-raiser.

England's first warm up match against India was washed out due to rain, but they were lucky to get a 37-over game against Bangladesh in the second match, which was truncated due to rain in Guwahati. England won the clash by 4 wickets, chasing down 197 (DLS).

New Zealand, on the other hand, played a full 50-over match against Pakistan in Hyderabad, but played a shortened game South Africa in Tiruvananthapuram. New Zealand won both their warm up matches with their regular skipper Williamson getting good time in the middle.

Now, with the action shifting to Ahmedabad and some parts of India witnessing showers, here is a look at the weather forecast and the Narendra Modi Stadium pitch report for ENG vs NZ 1st ICC World Cup match:

Ahmedabad Weather Forecast on October 5

Although most parts of the country are witnessing showers, there is no threat of rain in Ahmedabad at least on Thursday (October 5), when there is forecast for a very warm day with a maximum temperature of 36° C in the day, but the temperature is expected to reduce to 28° C in the night.

While there is no threat of rain, one thing that will be a worry for captains and bowlers will be the dew factor, which is expected to arrive late in the evening during the second innings.

Reports suggest there has been dew on the outfield in the last few days, and the ground staff will use the ASPA80 anti-dew spray on the morning of the match if needed. Dew plays an important factor when teams are trying to defend a score. So, how is the wicket going to play?

Narendra Modi Stadium pitch report for ENG vs NZ World Cup match

There are three kinds of pitches at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad - black soil, red soil and a mixture of red and black soil. The black soil pitches are known to produce more bounce, allowing free run-scoring opportunities.

Red soil pitches, on the other hand, are known to dry up soon and assist the slower bowlers or spinners as the match progresses. The one with the mixture of both is expected to be even. It will be interesting to see what wicket the ENG vs NZ match will be played on.

During the IPL, the venue saw a lot of high-scoring games, with totals of 200 chased comfortably, but in the most recent ODI played at the venue, the team chasing, struggled to get past 266 with both seamers and spinners getting equal assistance.