2015 Cricket World Cup final

The final of the 2015 Cricket World Cup took place on 29 March 2015 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia. It was played between the tournament's two co-hosts, New Zealand and Australia. Australia went into the game as favourites[2][3] and won by 7 wickets for a fifth World Cup triumph. The match was played in front of 93,013 spectators, a record crowd for a day of cricket in Australia.

2015 Cricket World Cup Final
The MCG during the final.
Event2015 Cricket World Cup
New Zealand Australia
New Zealand Australia
183 186/3
45 overs 33.1 overs
Date29 March 2015
VenueMelbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Player of the matchJames Faulkner (Aus)
UmpiresKumar Dharmasena (SL) and Richard Kettleborough (Eng)
Attendance93,013[1]
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Background

The 2015 Cricket World Cup started on 14 February and was co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia across 14 venues. Fourteen teams were divided into two pools of seven, with the top four from each pool progressing to the quarter-finals.[4] The final was played on 29 March and was a day-night match contested between New Zealand and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[5]

It was New Zealand's first World Cup Final.[6] They had previously lost the semi-final on six occasions between 1975 and 2011. Australia played in their record seventh final, having won four (1987, 1999, 2003 and 2007) and lost two (1975, 1996).

It was the second consecutive time that two co-hosts contested the final: in 2011, India defeated Sri Lanka in the final while a third co-host Bangladesh exited in the pool stages. It was also the first time since 1987 that there was no Asian team in the final.[7]

The match was also the last One Day International (ODI) for Australian captain Michael Clarke (who announced that he would retire before the match),[8] Brad Haddin,[9] and New Zealand's Daniel Vettori,[10] the latter two announcing their retirements after the match.

Road to the final
Main article: 2015 Cricket World Cup

New Zealand

New Zealand finished top of Pool A, winning all six games against Sri Lanka, Scotland, England, Australia, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.[11] They faced the West Indies in the quarter-final at the Wellington Regional Stadium, winning by 143 runs. Martin Guptil scored 237 individual runs when New Zealand batted, the highest score at any World Cup and the second highest in ODI matches.[12] In the semi-final at Auckland's Eden Park by 4 wickets in a rain-affected match against South Africa, with Grant Elliott hitting a six off the penultimate ball to win the game.[6][13]

Australia

Australia finished second in Pool A, losing against New Zealand, having a game cancelled due to rain against Bangladesh[14] and winning their other four matches. In their quarter-final, they defeated Pakistan by 6 wickets at the Adelaide Oval, with Josh Hazlewood taking 4 wickets to help restrict Pakistan to 213 runs.[15] They then qualified for the final by beating defending champions India by 95 runs in the semi-final at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Man of the match was Steven Smith, who scored 105 runs for Australia.[16]

Buildup
The Melbourne Cricket Ground, venue for the final

Australia entered the final as strong favourites to win.[17] Australia had a strong record at home, winning 24 of their last 26 games and former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden suggested New Zealand would struggle with the larger field size at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), especially after playing all their tournament games on the smaller New Zealand grounds. Additionally, Australia had a much stronger record at the World Cup, having already won it four times. At the MCG Australia had won their last six matches, although they did lose the last time they played New Zealand there in 2009.[18] Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting stated that Australia were overwhelming favourites and one could not find a weakness in the Australian team.[19]

New Zealand's captain, Brendon McCullum, maintained an aggressive approach throughout the tournament,[20] and said the final match would be no different.[21] Australia's captain Michael Clarke said the loss against New Zealand during the group stages gave his side the "kick up the backside" they needed.[22]

Match
MCG during the final of the World Cup

Match officials

The match was umpired by Sri Lanka's Kumar Dharmasena and England's Richard Kettleborough, both of whom were on the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires.[23] Kettleborough was named the ICC umpire of the year in 2013 and 2014[24] with Dharmasena winning the award in 2012.[25] Dharmasena was part of the Sri Lanka team which won the 1996 final against Australia, and became the first person to feature in the final as a player and as an umpire.[23] Sri Lankan Ranjan Madugalle was the match referee, South Africa's Marais Erasmus was the TV umpire and former England ODI international cricketer Ian Gould was the fourth umpire.[23]

Details
Australian players celebrating after receiving the trophy

New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat. Brendon McCullum was bowled in the fifth ball of the first over by Mitchell Starc. By the time the second wicket had fallen, that of Martin Guptill, New Zealand were making slow progress and were 38 for 2 from 12 overs. Kane Williamson was caught and bowled the following over by Mitchell Johnson for 12 runs, followed by a maiden from Josh Hazlewood. By the halfway mark, New Zealand were 93 for 3 with Grant Elliott on 39 and Ross Taylor on 20. Taylor lasted until the 36th over when he was caught behind off the bowling of James Faulkner for 40. Faulkner enhanced his wicket maiden by bowling Corey Anderson for a duck, with New Zealand on 150 for 5 after 36 overs. Clarke caught Luke Ronchi from Starc's bowling for a duck and Daniel Vettori was dismissed three overs later for eight, leaving New Zealand on 167 for 7 from 41 overs. Elliot fell to Faulkner the following over, caught by Brad Haddin for 83, leaving both Matt Henry and Tim Southee at the crease on zero. Both were dismissed in the 45th over, Henry caught by Starc off Johnson[26] and Southee run out. New Zealand's innings closed with them 183 all out.[27]

Australia's start was equally ignominious with Aaron Finch being caught and bowled by Trent Boult in the second over for a duck. By the end of the 10th over, Australia were 56 for 1, with David Warner on 39 and Steve Smith on 13.[28] Warner was dismissed in the 13th over for 45, being caught by Elliott off the bowling of Henry but Australia remained resolute to end the 20th over on 98 for 2, Clarke on 21 and the steady Smith on 25. By the end of the 30th over, Clarke, who received the majority of deliveries, was on 57 while Smith had 47. Clarke was dismissed in the 32nd, bowled by Henry for 74, but by now Australia required just nine runs from 113 deliveries.[29] Shane Watson came in to support Smith as he struck the winning shot, a four off Henry from the first ball of the 34th over, to win the match by seven wickets.[27]

Australian captain Clarke dedicated the victory to Phillip Hughes who had died after being struck on the neck by a bouncer the previous November.[30]

29 March 2015
14:30 (D/N)
Scorecard
New Zealand 
183 (45 overs)
v
 Australia
186/3 (33.1 overs)
Grant Elliott 83 (82)
Mitchell Johnson 3/30 (9 overs)
Michael Clarke 74 (72)
Matt Henry 2/46 (9.1 overs)
Australia won by 7 wickets
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (SL) and Richard Kettleborough (Eng)
Player of the match: James Faulkner (Aus)
  • New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat.
  • Australia won the Cricket World Cup for the fifth time.[31][32]
  • This was the last ODI played by Michael Clarke (Aus),[8] Brad Haddin (Aus),[9] Daniel Vettori (NZ)[10] and Mitchell Johnson (Aus).[33]
  • The crowd of 93,013 was the largest in the history of cricket in Australia, beating the previous record of 91,112 for a Test match on 26 December 2013. The country's previous ODI record crowd was 87,182 for the 1992 final.[34]
Final scorecard
1st innings
New Zealand batting[35]
Player Status Runs Balls 4s 6s Strike rate
Martin Guptill b Maxwell 15 34 1 1 44.11
Brendon McCullum b Starc 0 3 0 0 0.00
Kane Williamson c & b Johnson 12 33 1 0 36.36
Ross Taylor c Haddin b Faulkner 40 72 2 0 55.55
Grant Elliott c Haddin b Faulkner 83 82 7 1 101.21
Corey Anderson b Faulkner 0 2 0 0 0.00
Luke Ronchi c Clarke b Starc 0 4 0 0 0.00
Daniel Vettori b Johnson 9 21 1 0 42.85
Tim Southee run out (Maxwell) 11 11 0 1 100.00
Matt Henry c Starc b Johnson 0 7 0 0 0.00
Trent Boult not out 0 1 0 0 0.00
Extras (lb 7, w 6) 13
Total (all out; 45 overs) 183

Fall of wickets: 1/1 (McCullum, 0.5 ov), 2/33 (Guptill, 11.2 ov), 3/39 (Williamson, 12.2 ov), 4/150 (Taylor, 35.1 ov), 5/150 (Anderson, 35.3 ov), 6/151 (Ronchi, 36.2 ov), 7/167 (Vettori, 40.6 ov), 8/171 (Elliott, 41.5 ov), 9/182 (Henry, 44.5 ov), 10/183 (Southee, 44.6 ov)

Australian bowling[35]
Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Econ Wides NBs
Mitchell Starc 8 0 20 2 2.50 {{{wides}}} {{{no-balls}}}
Josh Hazlewood 8 2 30 0 3.75 {{{wides}}} {{{no-balls}}}
Mitchell Johnson 9 0 30 3 3.33 {{{wides}}} {{{no-balls}}}
Glenn Maxwell 7 0 37 1 5.28 {{{wides}}} {{{no-balls}}}
James Faulkner 9 1 36 3 4.00 {{{wides}}} {{{no-balls}}}
Shane Watson 4 0 23 0 5.75 {{{wides}}} {{{no-balls}}}
2nd innings
Australian batting[35]
Player Status Runs Balls 4s 6s Strike rate
David Warner c Elliott b Henry 45 46 7 0 97.82
Aaron Finch c & b Boult 0 5 0 0 0.00
Steve Smith not out 56 71 3 0 78.87
Michael Clarke b Henry 74 72 10 1 102.77
Shane Watson not out 2 5 0 0 40.00
Glenn Maxwell
James Faulkner
Brad Haddin
Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Starc
Josh Hazlewood
Extras (lb 3, w 6) 9
Total (3 wickets; 33.1 overs) 186

Fall of wickets: 1/2 (Finch, 1.4 ov), 2/63 (Warner, 12.2 ov), 3/175 (Clarke, 31.1 ov)

New Zealand bowling[35]
Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Econ Wides NBs
Tim Southee 8 0 65 0 8.12 {{{wides}}} {{{no-balls}}}
Trent Boult 10 0 40 1 4.00 {{{wides}}} {{{no-balls}}}
Daniel Vettori 5 0 25 0 5.00 {{{wides}}} {{{no-balls}}}
Matt Henry 9.1 0 46 2 5.01 {{{wides}}} {{{no-balls}}}
Corey Anderson 1 0 7 0 7.00 {{{wides}}} {{{no-balls}}}

References
  1. "2015 Cricket World Cup Final: Australia v New Zealand - Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne".
  2. "Cricket World Cup final: Preview of Australia v New Zealand". BBC Sport. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  3. "Sir Ian Botham: New Zealand can upset Australia in World Cup final". Sky Sports. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  4. "History". International Cricket Council. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  5. Kaushik, R (28 March 2015). "Australia v New Zealand Preview, Final, Melbourne". International Cricket Council. Archived from the original on 30 March 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  6. "New Zealand beat South Africa by four wickets to reach first ever World Cup final". Stuff (company). 24 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  7. "No Asian team in World Cup final for first time since 1987". The Times of India. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  8. "Smith, Hazlewood book semi-final berth". ESPNcricinfo. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  9. "Haddin to join Clarke in retirement". ESPNcricinfo. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  10. "New Zealand's Daniel Vettori retires from international cricket". BBC Sport. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  11. Emons, Michael (13 March 2015). "Cricket World Cup: Unbeaten New Zealand defeat Bangladesh". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  12. Coverdale, Brydon (21 March 2015). "Guptill's 237 drives New Zealand into semi-final". ESPNcricinfo.
  13. "New Zealand beat South Africa in thriller to reach World Cup final". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 24 March 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  14. "Cricket World Cup 2015: Australia v Bangladesh washed out by rain". BBC Sport. 21 February 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  15. Sheringham, Sam (20 March 2015). "Cricket World Cup 2015: Australia beat Pakistan to reach semi-finals". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  16. "Cricket World Cup: Australia beat India to reach final". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 26 March 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  17. Woodcock, Fred (27 March 2015). "Australia strong favourites with bookies to win World Cup final after dismantling India". Stuff (company).
  18. Fernando, Andrew Fidel (28 March 2015). "New Zealand in form, but Australia formidable at home". ESPNcricinfo.
  19. Kalra, Gaurav (27 March 2015). "Can't spot a weakness in Australia – Ponting". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  20. Alter, Jamie (9 March 2015). "McCullum's aggressive captaincy 'contagious': Fleming". Cricbuzz.
  21. "Calm, aggression merge in New Zealand's World Cup approach". The New Zealand Herald. 28 March 2015.
  22. Alter, Jamie (28 March 2015). "Clarke and McCullum, captains in arms". Cricbuzz.
  23. "Cricket World Cup: Kumar Dharmasena first to play and umpire in final". The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  24. "Richard Kettleborough". ESPNcricinfo.
  25. "Kumar Dharmasena". ESPNcricinfo.
  26. "Full Scorecard of New Zealand vs Australia Final 2014/15 - Score Report". ESPNcricinfo.com. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  27. "ICC Cricket World Cup, Final: Australia v New Zealand at Melbourne, Mar 29, 2015". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  28. "Australia win Cricket World Cup – Michael Clarke bows out in style as New Zealand succumb in final at MCG". The Daily Telegraph. 29 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  29. "Australia steamroller New Zealand to win World Cup final in style". The Guardian. 29 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  30. "World Cup 2015: Michael Clarke dedicates win to Phillip Hughes". BBC Sport. 29 March 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  31. "Cricket World Cup 2015: Australia crush New Zealand in final". BBC Sport. 29 March 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  32. "Majestic Australia win fifth World Cup". ESPNcricinfo. 29 March 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  33. Johnson retires from international cricket
  34. "Record crowd for World Cup final". Cricket.com.au. 29 March 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  35. "Final: Final (D/N), ICC Cricket World Cup at Melbourne, Mar 29 2015". 29 March 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
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