Anyone who feels that the ODI format doesn’t deserve a place in ICC’s cricket calendar needs to watch the 2019 ODI World Cup final on loop. Arguably, the best game of cricket ever played, it had more twists and turns than an Abbas-Mastan film or a James Hadley Chase novel. It been four years since that edge of the seat thriller played out at Lord’s and it’s only fitting that this edition of the World Cup starts with a New Zealand v England encounter.

Ian Smith’s description of England winning the 2019 ODI World Cup “by the barest of margins, the barest of all margins” has become iconic in the cricketing world. Two good teams, a World Cup opening encounter, the biggest stadium in the world and hopefully in front of a full house is the perfect recipe for an absolute nail-biter.