Melbourne, March 29: Australia crowned themselves World Champions for the fifth time after they defeated Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand by seven wickets in the ICC cricket World Cup final here Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. After restricting the co-hosts to 183 all out, the Aussies romped home with more than 15 overs to spare. Skipper Michael Clarke (74, 72b, 10×4, 1×6) playing his last ODI for Australia led the chase with a match-winning knock.
The Kiwis were never in the game after they lost skipper Brendon McCullum early on, clean bowled by Mitchell Starc. The Australian pacers bowled well in tandem and never allowed the opposition batsman to settle. Except for Grant Elliott (83, 82b, 7×4, 1×6) none of the other Kiwi batters could get going against an attack that was both hostile and disciplined. The bowlers were backed by sharp fielding which prevented the Kiwis from breaking the shackles.
“We deserved to win… we have been playing good cricket,” stated Clarke after the game. “I had stated after the semifinal that we would win the title after the semifinal. I did it because we had confidence in our abilities.”
New Zealand lost their last seven wickets for only 33 runs making the final a lop-sided affair. The Aussies were too good a team to let the advantage slip away once their bowlers had put them on a strong footing. They came good when it mattered the most and dashed whatever hopes the Kiwis had of winning their maiden World Cup title. PTI
