New Zealand steamrollered defending champions England by nine wickets in the opening match of the ICC ODI World Cup yesterday, demonstrating again their knack of punching above their weight in showpiece events.

New Zealand rested regular captain Kane Williamson (knee) and fast bowler Tim Southee (thumb) to give them more time to recover from surgery.

Defending champions England begin their ICC Cricket World Cup defence with a match against last edition's finalists New Zealand today at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the world's largest cricket stadium, in Ahmedabad.