Published: Mar 29, 2015, 11:16 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 29, 2015, 11:16 PM (IST)
Michael Clarke played a captain’s knock of 74 runs in his last one-day international match to lead Australia to an emphatic seven-wicket victory over New Zealand to clinch their fifth World Cup title at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.
Australia performed their very best in front of a massive crowd of 93,013 spectators, a record at MCG. Losing the toss didn’t matter much as Australia made full use of what the pitch was offering by taking wickets at regular intervals. The left-arm fast bowling trio of Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson and James Faulkner shared eight wickets among themselves as they restricted the Kiwis for 183 runs on a good pitch with only Grant Elliott (83) and Ross Taylor (40) doing well for the visitors. (Read: Michael Clarke: Bowing out of the ODI arena like a true champion)
Chasing was never difficult as the home team reached the finishing line in the 34th over to win the coveted silverware for the fifth time, their previous titles coming in 1987, 1999, 2003 and 2007. Clarke along with Steve Smith (56 not out) and David Warner (45) led Australia to an emotional win over first-timers New Zealand, a perfect farewell gift for the skipper. (In Pictures: Moods and Moments from Australia vs New Zealand, Melbourne)
