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Australia vs New Zealand ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final: A battle of emotions

At the end, it will be a fairytale ending for one team and a heartbreaking end for the other.

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Australia vs New Zealand ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final: A battle of emotions
While Michael Clarke is someone who wears his emotions on his sleeves, Brendon McCullum hides his feelings under the aggression of his willow and leadership © Getty Images

The occasion has finally arrived. After six weeks of unending and tiring cricket matches, New Zealand and Australia face each other in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final, which will see the co-hosts and neighbouring countries fight for the title of One-Day International (ODI) Champions. Sudatta Mukherjee writes why the final will be an emotional one for both the nations.

November 25, 2014. Phillip Joel Hughes is hit on the back of his head. He is rushed to the hospital. The Australian cricketers visit him at the Sydney hospital.

November 27, 2014. Hughes passes away. Tributes flow in from all around the world.

November 28, 2014. New Zealand cricketers arrive to play the second day of their third Test against Pakistan in Sharjah wearing whites with ‘P.H.’ initials, honouring the late Australian cricketer.

November 29, 2014. Brendon McCullum smashes a 188-ball 202. There are no celebrations. New Zealand play the third Test without bowling a single short ball or bouncer.

December 3, 2014. Phillip Hughes funeral at his High School, Macksville sees an attendance of 1,000 and over 5,000 mourners join the funeral walk and many watching the funeral live all around the world. Skipper Michael Clarke delivers an emotional speech. He said, “He left a mark on our game that needs no embellishment. I don’t know about you, but I keep looking for him. I know it’s crazy, but I expect any minute to take a call from him or to see his face pop around the corner. Is this what we call the ‘spirit’? If so then his spirit is still with me and I hope it never leaves.”

December 10, 2014. Steven Smith scores Test century against India and gestures to the heavens. He walks to the place where 408, Phil Hughes Test cap number, was painted and points his bats to the sky.

January 6, 2015. David Warner scores century and kisses the pitch at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), where Hughes breathed his last breath. Warner honours his century to his ‘Little Mate’.

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September 16, 2014: Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe announced on Twitter that he has suffered a relapse of cancer.

February 28, 2015.  Crowe is inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame at Eden Park, where he made his debut in 1982, in a most emotional atmosphere.

March 24, 2015. New Zealand beat South Africa to enter their first-ever cricket World Cup final.

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March 26, 2015. Australia beat India to enter their seventh cricket World Cup final.

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March 28, 2015. A terminally ill and emotional Crowe says that the final between New Zealand and Australia could be the last match he will see. He writes, “My precarious life ahead may not afford me the luxury of many more games to watch and enjoy. So this is likely to be it. The last, maybe, and I can happily live with that. I will hold back tears all day long. I will gasp for air on occasions. I will feel like a nervous parent.”

March 28, 2015. Michael Clarke announces One-Day International (ODI) retirement post ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final.

Sport probably brings out the best emotions from people around the world, and cricket is no different. It involves 22 players playing for one ultimate title — to be crowned as the champion. The final between Australia and New Zealand will be a huge emotional affair for both the teams for more than one reason. Read: Australia (AUS) vs New Zealand (NZ), ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Final, Preview

While Australia play their seventh final, this will be New Zealand’s first final. Australia will play for the memory of Phillip Hughes and to give a fitting farewell to Clarke, who plays his final ODI match and would love to go out on a high. Australia vs New Zealand 2015 World Cup final: Indian cricket fans to support Blackcaps

New Zealand will play for Crowe, for the six times that they have made it to the semi-finals and have got knocked out, for all the pain and joys of 1992 and all the wait they have had to go through in their 43 years of ODIs. New Zealand will play for Daniel Vettori, the ‘old’ man who has been part of the side since 1997, who has played 294 matches in the format, and the one who has been a crucial force in the side over the last two decades.  ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final, Australia vs New Zealand: Match facts

While Australia and Clarke will have the memory of Hughes when they take the ground on Sunday, McCullum will be expected to put up a straight face, carrying the faith, trust and belief of the other nation, who have been often made to look up as their ‘Big Brother’. Michael Clarke’s ODI retirement hardly affects teams focus ahead of World Cup 2015 final

McCullum will walk out with his team, to honour Crowe, who will be watching the match as a ‘nervous parent’, probably hoping to see New Zealand lift the trophy, which he missed it narrowly. New Zealand train hard ahead of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final

The last six weeks have been a poignant and tough one for both the teams. There will be soul-stirring and uplifting moments. Emotions will run through almost everyone at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), but both New Zealand and Australia, known for their aggression will keep aside personal affairs to win the title. However, at the end, it will be a fairytale ending for one team and a heartbreaking end for the other. It will be the battle of emotions. Read: Mitchell Starc vs Trent Boult: Race to be the best bowler

(Sudatta Mukherjee is a reporter with CricketCountry. Other than writing on cricket, she spends penning random thoughts on her blog. When she is not writing, you will catch her at a movie theatre or watching some English television show on her laptop. Her Twitter handle is @blackrosegal)

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