Australia crushed New Zealand by seven wickets in an underwhelming final to win its fifth World Cup title here on Sunday. Captain Michael Clarke, in his last ODI appearance, made 74 as his team chased down a target of 184 with almost 17 overs to spare.
The foundation for the victory was laid by an uncompromising bowling performance. Mitchell Johnson took three for 30 and James Faulkner three for 36 on a flat pitch as New Zealand was restricted to a mediocre total.
A crowd of 93,013, a record for a cricket match in Australia, filed through the gates of the MCG, making for a crackling atmosphere.
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Brendon McCullum was dismissed without scoring. “We ran into an outstanding cricket team tonight,” he said. “They deserve to be champions… But we can be very proud of our achievements in the tournament.”
Faulkner, who turned the tide of the contest with his spell in the Powerplay overs, was declared the player of the match. Mitchell Starc, the World Cup’s most successful bowler with 22 wickets at 10.18, was adjudged the player of the tournament.