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<\/p>\nFormer England captain Eoin Morgan during Captains\u2019 Day prior to the ICC Men\u2019s Cricket World Cup India 2023<\/p>\n
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Eoin Morgan is still confident England will \u201clift the trophy\u201d despite their \u201ccrushing defeat\u201d to New Zealand in the opening game of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.<\/p>\n
Defending champions England did not have the best start to their World Cup campaign as they were outplayed by the Black Caps, who won the game by nine wickets at Ahmedabad\u2019s Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday.<\/p>\n
In a column released by the International Cricket Council (ICC), Morgan wrote about England\u2019s nightmare outing against New Zealand. <\/p>\n
Having spent plenty of time with many members of the current squad, the former skipper feels the English side will have \u201ca lot of calm heads in the dressing room\u201d, but also honest conversations in the aftermath of the drubbing.<\/p>\n
The English side, led by Jos Buttler, managed to score just 282 runs in 50 overs after being asked to bat first. The greatest number of runs were scored by Joe Root, who managed a personal score of 77 from 86 balls.<\/p>\n
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New Zealand chased down their target with ease as they lost just one wicket, sealing the game with 82 balls remaining.<\/p>\n
Morgan believes even if the English side had scored 30 runs more in the first innings, they would have still lost because they didn\u2019t bowl well enough to defend it \u2013 and that is something \u201charder to take\u201d than the result itself.<\/p>\n
England\u2019s poor bowling allowed Rachin Ravindra, who was playing his maiden World Cup game for New Zealand, to become the youngest New Zealand batter to score a World Cup century.<\/p>\n
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New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra celebrates after scoring a century<\/p>\n
The all-rounder hit five sixes and 11 fours in his knock of 123 not out off 96 deliveries. Ravindra put up a second-wicket partnership with Conway, who remained unbeaten on 152 runs off 121 balls.<\/p>\n
\u2018Complete faith in England\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Despite the drubbing, former England skipper Morgan still believes his countrymen can go all the way to defend their title as \u201cone defeat will not derail their campaign\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI tipped England to win the competition in the build-up and I still have complete faith. Nothing about today\u2019s performance worries me when it comes to believing they can win the trophy,\u201d wrote Morgan in the ICC column.<\/p>\n \u201cThe advantage of having this format is that one bad day doesn\u2019t ruin your tournament, when previously one bad day could have you home within a week. I still think they can and will win this World Cup.\u201d <\/p>\n Matthew Mott, Head Coach of England and Jos Buttler of England interact following the ICC Men\u2019s Cricket World Cup India 2023 between England and New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium on 5 October<\/p>\n The Ireland-born cricketer captained England to their maiden 50-over World Cup win in 2019, in which they defeated New Zealand in the final. The fate of the match, which was eventually decided on boundary count, is regarded as one of the greatest One-Day Internationals (ODIs) in the history of the sport.<\/p>\n During the 2019 World Cup, England lost three out of their nine matches, yet lifted the trophy in the end.<\/p>\n \u201cEight of this squad were there in 2019, when we lost three group stage matches on the way to lifting the trophy, and they will definitely lean on that experience. There is no side that goes from start to finish at a World Cup without experiencing some sort of adversity, whether it\u2019s losing games or having hiccups within games themselves. This will be no different,\u201d said Morgan.<\/p>\n England took the field against New Zealand without all-rounder Ben Stokes, who had played a pivotal role in their successful World Cup campaign four years ago.<\/p>\n Stokes missed the opening game due to a hip niggle and Morgan suggests the explosive hitter\u2019s return \u201cwill be key\u201d in England\u2019s quest to bounce back. The World Cup-winning skipper believes Stokes \u201cbreeds confidence and belief\u201d and makes an exceptional impact on the dressing room.<\/p>\n England will next go against Bangladesh on 10 October in Dharamshala.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2023\/10\/06\/11\/SEI174766503.jpg\")
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