Australia won a fifth World Cup at the MCG last night by seven wickets over the Black Caps as Mitchell Starc captured the coveted player of the tournament award.
Starc bowled Brendon McCullum for a third-ball duck. Dismissing the Black Caps skipper and most dangerous batsman in the first over of the game was a dream start for the Australians.
» Full 2015 Cricket World Cup final scorecard
» Cricket World Cup final live blog
» VIDEO: McCullum’s crucial dismissal
» GLENN MITCHELL: From tragedy to triumph for Michael Clarke
The record 93,013 crowd erupted, their roar would have been heard way up the hill in the Melbourne CBD.
Another left-arm Australian paceman James Faulkner won the man-of-the-match award with a two-wicket burst in three deliveries when the Kiwis were starting to recover.
He had Ross Taylor caught behind for 40, ending a 111-fourth wicket stand with Grant Elliott, before bowling the dangerous Corey Anderson for a second-ball duck.
Elliott went on to top score with 83, with the Black Caps all out for 183 in 45 overs, which was never going to be enough on a belter of a track, and a fast outfield.
Even though Aaron Finch went for a first over duck, David Warner (45), Steve Smith (56*), and retiring skipper Michael Clarke’s 74 saw the Australians home with 101 deliveries up their sleeve.
For Smith, Australia’s best batsman in the tournament and the ODI captain-in-waiting, it was his fifth successive 50-plus – 95 against Afghanistan, 72 (Sri Lanka), 65 against Pakistan in the quarters, 105 against India in the semis, and the unbeaten 56 last night.
Try 393 runs at 98.25 – what a tournament.
So after 49 games over six weeks, the honour board is as follows.
Most runs
Martin Guptill (NZ) – 547 at 68.37.
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) – 541 at 108.20.
AB de Villiers (South Africa) – 482 at 96.40.
Brendan Taylor (Zimbabwe) – 433 at 72.16.
Shikhar Dhawan (India) – 412 at 51.50.
Steve Smith (Australia) – 402 at 67.
There were a record 35 centuries in the tournament, burying the eight tons scored in the inaugural World Cup in 1975.
Guptill’s unbeaten 237, facing the first and last ball of the Kiwis game against the West Indies, was a World Cup record, eclipsing Chris Gayle’s 215 against Zimbabwe.
And the 37-year-old Sangakkara set a world ODI record with four successive centuries – 105* against Bangladesh, 117* against England, 104 against Australia, and 124 against South Africa.
Most wickets
Mitchell Starc (Australia) – 22 wickets at 10.18.
Trent Boult (NZ) – 22 at 16.86.
Umesh Yadav (India) – 18 at 17.83.
Mohammed Shami (India) -17 at 17.29.
Morne Morkel (South Africa) – 17 at 17.58.
Jerome Taylor (West Indies) – 17 at 19.29.
Tim Southee (NZ) recorded the best figures of the tournament with 7-33 against England, with Starc’s 6-28 against the Kiwis in the scheduled rounds the next best.
Most dismissals
Brad Haddin (Australia) – 16.
MS Dhoni (India) – 15.
Denesh Ramden (West Indies) – 13.
Luke Ronchi (NZ) – 13.
Matthew Cross (Scotland) – 10.
Quinton de Kock (South Africa) – 10.
At least four but maybe five players retired from ODIs after their completing their World Cup campaigns.
Sri Lankans Kumar Sangakkara (404 games) and Mahela Jayawardene (448), Zimbabwean Brendan Taylor (167), Australian Michael Clarke (245) – and probably Kiwi Daniel Vettori (295).
But the quote of the night belongs to Brad Haddin during a post-final interview.
“We are going to have a beer with everyone in the crowd (93,013), should be a big night”.
Amen to that.
Bondy
Guest
From the Quarter Finals and including the Final most of the Quarter Finals finished with roughly a 100 point winning run margin the first Semi Final between New Zealand vs Sth Africa New Zealand won by 4 wickets (with 1 ball remaining) ,most of the other matches were over result wise halfway through the second Innings about 25 overs in, with a sport that lasts roughly seven hours in duration . The highlight to the tournament was the Host Nation winning the event of course and then the Associate Nations jubilant victories ...
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Christo I know you tend to be free and easy with your claims but: "Screaming in someone’s face after you’ve just taken their wicket is “just a good, tongue in cheek dig”? Johnson and Faulkner – and that’s just in the final." I've just watched the full footage of each NZ dismissal again and at no point did Johnson or Faulkner scream in anyone's face. Nothing remotely close to that.
Tom from Perth
Roar Rookie
Right on the money 13th.
Kimbeth
Roar Rookie
Ridiculous. The stadium with basically double the capacity of the next biggest stadium and one of the greatest venues in the world must be used. The trade off was that the kiwis played the pool game versus Australia at Eden Park.
jammel
Guest
100,000+ at Eden Park in the future? Really MacDub? I can't see that happening - not in this era of stadiums around the world, financial circumstances and all. Most global stadiums are getting smaller if anything - think safer seating, etc. Eg Eden Gardens, Maracana, etc. I don't think NZ will ever have a 100,000+ stadium - well not in the next few hundred years….
jammel
Guest
If Australia batted first, I think we would have gone 300+ - probably 330-340. Certainly nothing less than 300. The second innings batting performance supports this - we might have even made 320-330 with Finch going early, and Smith and Clarke taking some time to consolidate. It could have even been more if Maxwell + Faulkner got going.
jammel
Guest
All blacks have only won two world cups…same as the Wallabies!! Whereas we have five World Cups in cricket! :) Well said Jamesb - I'd say about 1% of the world's population has even heard of the all blacks. They aren't a truly global force - nothing they do registers in terms of global impact like football/the Olympics for example.
batman
Guest
Im a kiwi and see nothing about aussies thats like americans im lost Stupid comment
taylorman
Roar Guru
No just good old % of matches played and won. The ABs have won 76% of all test matches played, that figure increasing to 87% in the last ten years. Oz on the other hand have won 46% of all test matches, and 64% of all ODI's narrowly tipping the Protea's by less than a percent. Like I said, no comparison. World cups aren't great, but no one has won more, or been in more finals, so yes, average for the AB's, but in head to head against all comers, far superior to the Aust cricket side. Nature of the sport? Perhaps ...
batman
Guest
yes it was funny and he gave credit when nz won Kiwi captain missed best wind up available very sad not taken He shouldve mentioned with the game been at mcg they rapt as a chance to win in from of 100,000 convicts
batman
Guest
Didnt nz beat aus in auckland ?no one got close ? Aus bowled out for 150 ring a bell
batman
Guest
That was a shocking call the review should never have been needed
Renegade
Roar Guru
Are you serious....? Which sport holds a World Cup where the venue isn't decided before the tournament starts..... you seriously have no idea, do you?
batman
Guest
Like the game been at eden as it should be as higher in group
batman
Guest
not deserved the final should not have been in melbourne australia was lower in pool Thats how most sports work Aus wouldve lost at eden park
Sammy
Guest
you do also reallise that Michael Clarke strongly hinted that any sledging, and he was unsure if there was much anyway, may have been caused by what the kiwi cricketers had to say in and after the previous match in NZ. There is an awful lot of sledging, if I can call derogatory remarks that, by NZ sports fans every day in forums like this.
QuitWhinging
Guest
Ashes tour followed by Bangladesh tour in October.
Sammy
Guest
so that's why they've won so many world cups? away from home? average record in WCs, at best, probably below average if honest.
deccas
Guest
Well he did a good job this world cup, and I think his bowling will continue to improve.
deccas
Guest
I agree that Mcullums aggressive captaincy was brilliant. But we saw in the South Africa match why almost every other team doesn't go for all out aggression. If it hadn't rained South Africa would have had Du Plessis, De Villiers Miller and Duminy 10 overs with only 1 coming from New Zealands best bowler. They would have put on plenty. There is every chance that NZ still would have got those runs, they had a truly great team, but South Africa gave them the Rope-a-dope, and teams of comparable level to this NZ team would have a decent chance of seeing off the best overs and making hay as the sun shines late in the innings. McCullom was my favourite player of the cup, and his captaincy absolutely excellent. But there is a place for pragmatism as a cricketing captain.