Australia Easily Defeats New Zealand In Cricket World Cup Final

In a bit of an upset, Australia demolished New Zealand in the Cricket World Cup final. After having a strong offensive showing throughout the tournament — including a walk-off six-pointer to go to the final — the all blacks were held to only 183 points. In fact, five players were held to zero points in 45 overs.

On the other side, the offense of David Warner, Steve Smith and Michael Clarke — together they registered 184 of Australia’s 186 points — was enough for the Aussies to win the World Cup trophy. In fact, New Zealand was only able to get three players out before giving up the winning runs. This is the fifth time Australia has hoisted the Cricket World Cup trophy, but it is the first time they ever won on their own soil.

Australian bowler James Faulkner took home man of the match despite the team’s impressive offense. The bowler played a vital role throughout the tournament and was a key reason why Australia was able to keep New Zealand to 183 points. On top of this, Australia’s Mitchell Starc left the world cup as the number one ranked bowler in ODI and was named player of the tournament.

On top of this, Australia’s Michael Clarke and New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori effectively retired from ODI. Clarke finished this World Cup with 219 runs in seven matches and Vettori is one of only three players with over 4,000 runs and 300 wicket takes in ICC World Cup play.