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The start of the magnificent World Cup is less than a few hours away; the excitement is very strong; all fans worldwide will be tuning in. The defending champions, England, will face New Zealand tomorrow at the world's largest cricket stadium: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, India.
The first ODI is going to start at 2:00 pm (Local time); Tom Latham will be the captain for Team New Zealand in Kane Williamson's absence. Tom Latham is unaffected by comments that make New Zealand appear as an underrated team and looks forward to putting on a performance in the opening game.
In less than 24 hours, we will witness one of the most intense cricket battles of the year.
Tom Latham on the opening match
In a recent interview, Tom Latham shared his thoughts on the opening game and Kane Willaimson's absence.
"We're not necessarily focused on what people are predicting," Latham said, as quoted by cricbuzz.com. "It's a question that always pops up, but I think from our point of view, we're solely focused on the job at hand tomorrow (the tournament opener between England and New Zealand).
We've had time to certainly reflect on what a fantastic game it was four years ago, and I'm sure everyone will say it's probably one of the greatest games of cricket to have been played. Any team that doesn't have Kane in it is obviously, you know, we'd certainly be better off having him, but I think from our point of view, for him to be here, to be at the World Cup, is a testament to the work he has put in over the last four to five months.
Latham further said: "To play the opening game here at an amazing stadium is pretty special. So it's a unique experience being played here in India, and it's obviously a fantastic place to play cricket. I'm really excited to get underway tomorrow, to play against a fantastic England side in a World Cup opener is really special, so it can't get much better than that".