ICC World Cup final: Australia vs New Zealand - As it happened...

Welcome to the live coverage of ICC World Cup 2015 Final between co-hosts Australia and New Zealand being played at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

New Delhi: Michael Clarke-led Australia defeated Brendon McCullum-led New Zealand by 7 wickets in the final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Man of the Match: James Faulkner

Man of the Series: Mitchell Starc

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Australia crushed co-hosts in the summit clash by seven wickets to win the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. It makes Oz the world champions for the fifth time. In a lop-sided affair Australia easily chased down the modest total of 183 set up by the Kiwis. It's a fitting farewell for skipper Michael Clarke, who was playing in his last ODI match for his country. Black Caps too played outstanding cricket throughout the tournament but in the final Australia literally beat them in all departments.             

Over 33.1 || Score 186/3

Smith hit the winning boundary for Australia as the Kangaroos beat New Zealand by seven wickets with 101 balls to spare. And with that Oz have become the world champions for the record fifth time! They were the favourites to win the tournament and they have lived up to the expectations of all the fans.

Over 33 || Score 182/3

Southee to bowl the over. Two runs from it. 

Over 32 || Score 180/3

Michael Clarke Out! He got played on off Henry's 2nd ball. Standing ovation by the spectators and team mates. Smith took a double to complete his fifty. Oz mere four runs away from the victory.    

MJ Clarke b Henry 74 (72b) 

Over 31 || Score 174/2

Four back to back boundaries from Clarke's willow. 17 from the over. Oz need mere 10 runs from the over.   

Over 30 || Score 157/2

Clarke hit a boundary towards cover region off the 4th ball. Six runs from the over. 27 runs needed in 20 overs and Aus have 8 wickets in hand. 

Over 29 || Score 151/2

Expensive comeback over by Southee as he leaked 11 runs in the over. In the meanwhile, Australia crossed the 150-run mark as well. 33 runs needed from 21 overs,

Over 28 || Score 140/2

Now it's just a formality for Australia to win the summit clash against the co-hosts New Zealand. It's a lop sided affair. 44 more runs needed off 22 overs. 

Over 27 || Score 139/2

Clarke took a single off the third ball to complete his half-century. He smashed five boundaries and a six to reach the mark. five from the over. 45 runs needed from 23 overs, 

Over 26 || Score 135/2

Boult is back into the attack. Off the last ball, Clarke hit the seamer straight down the ground to get his fifth boundary. 50 runs needed.  

Over 25 || Score 130/2

Clarke launched Vettori for a six over long off to collect 11 from the over. Oz is mere 54 runs shy of wining the match.    

Over 24 || Score 119/2

Corey Anderson into the attack. The medium pacer leaked seven in the over. Now it's just a formality for Aussies to win the match and the World Cup.  

Over 23 || Score 112/2

Henry to continue. Clarke played a super shot towards long on to get a boundary off the last ball. Expensive over by the pacer as he leaked nine in it. 72 runs needed from 27 overs.  

Over 22 || Score 103/2

Tight over by veteran spinner Vettori as he gave mere three in it. 81 runs needed from 28 overs. Smith-Clarke have already added 40 runs for the 3rd wicket.  

Over 21 || Score 100/2

Australia touched the 100-run mark in the over. And now they need mere 84 runs to seal the match and lift the World Cup trophy for the record 5th time.   

Over 20 || Score 98/2

Vettori back in attack. Can he turn the things around for Kiwis? It seems difficult. Three from the over.   

Over 19 || Score 95/2

Clarke is looking in a hurry to wrap up the game as he slapped Henry for two boundaries in the over to collect 12 from the over.

Over 18 || Score 83/2

Clarke top edged the 4th ball off Southee to get a boundary towards third man. Double came off the last ball. Oz are well in control of the match. 

Over 17 || Score 76/2

Henry is bowling at a tight line but he has to provide  few wickets as well. Oz need 108 more runs in 33 overs to seal the match and be the world champions for the fifth time.  

Over 16 || Score 74/2

Southee is back into the attack. McCullum has set an attacking field but still things are not drifting their way. Five from the over. 

Over 15 || Score 69/2

Smith got lucky as the bails remained intact even after hitting the stumps. Single from the over bowled by Henry.  

Over 14 || Score 68/2

Bout with his 7th over. Clarke opened his account with the help of a leading edge which gave him three runs. Five from the over.  

Over 13 || Score 63/2

Henry strikes, Watson out! In trying to pull the bowler for a big shot over mid-wicket, Warner ended up giving a catch to Elliott at deep square leg. And now comes the skipper Michael Clarke, who is playing his last ODI match for Australia. And he got an amazing response from the stands, while coming to the center.    

DA Warner c Elliott b Henry 45 (46b)

Over 12 || Score 59/1

Smith and Warner have already added more than 50 runs for the 2nd wicket. NZ are not even looking like taking a wicket here. Single from the over.   

Over 11 || Score 58/1

Henry is bowling at a good line and length but NZ need wickets here. That's the only way for them to get back into the match. 

Over 10 || Score 56/1

Trent Boult with his 5th over. Warner collected his 6th boundary by placing the ball towards cover. Seven from the over. In the meantime Oz crossed the 50-run mark.   

Over 9 || Score 49/1

Matt Henry to bowl the over. Warner welcomed him with a boundary off his 1st ball. Match is slipping away from NZ.   

Over 8 || Score 45/1

Boult gave four runs in the over. NZ need a couple of wickets here to put some pressure on Aussies. 

Over 7 || Score 41/1

Veteran bowler Daniel Vettori into the attack. Smith cut the spinner towards point region to pick up three runs off the 3rd ball. That was the only scoring shot from the over. 

Over 6 || Score 38/1

Steven Smith pulled Boult for a four towards mid-wicket off the penultimate ball off the over. Five came off it.  

Over 5 || Score 32/1

Warner is attacking the bowlers and has started hitting boundaries at will. It seems as if luck is also on his side as well. He scored three consecutive boundaries off the first three balls. Expensive over by Southee as he gave away 15 runs in it.     

Over 4 || Score 18/1

Warner collected his first boundary of the match off the third ball by playing an expensive cover drive. Three runs from the last ball as Boult leaked nine from the over. 

Over 3 || Score 9/1

Six runs came off the first four balls, all from Watson's willow. Next ball, a dot one. Final ball, single. Seven from the over.  

Over 2 || Score 2/1

First breakthrough! Boult got the better of Finch off the fourth delivery as the ball went straight to the bowler after hitting the inside edge and then the pad of the batsman.  

AJ Finch c & b Boult 0 (5b)

Over 1 || Score 1/0

Southee bowled a super first over. McCullum has set an attacking field as he doesn't have any other option left. Single from the over.  

Superb bowling by Australian seamers helped the Kangaroos to restrict New Zealand under a modest total of 183. Starc set the tone for Australia, when he scalped the wicket of McCullum in the first over of the match and then Johnson and Faulkner took wickets at regular intervals to keep the momentum going. But it can still be anyone's match. For the records, during the 1983 World Cup India scored the same total, while batting first, and then defend it successfully.     

Over 45 || Score 183/10

Southee is looking for big shots now. But Johnson is bowling smartly at the moment. Henry Out! Off the fifth ball, Johnson picked up his third wicket by bowling a low full-toss as the right-hander gave a simple catch to Starc at point. And Southee got run-out off the last ball. 

TG Southee run out 11 (11b)

MJ Henry c Starc b Johnson 0 (7b)    

Over 44 || Score 181/8

Faulkner with his penultimate over. Three runs came off the fifth ball and that was the only scoring shot from the over.  

Over 43 || Score 178/8

Southee smacked Johnson for a six over long on off the first ball. Then came a single off the third ball. Matt Henry is at the crease with Southee. Seven from the over.  

Over 42 || Score 171/8

Elliott will now look for big shots. First ball, and he slapped Faulkner towards cow corner for a boundary. Three dot balls after that. Elliott Out! And his fine innings finally came to an end as the bowler got the better him. 

GD Elliott c Haddin b Faulkner 83 (82b)

Over 41 || Score 167/7

In the last ten overs, Kiwis would try to take their score near 250, whereas, Australia would try to bowl them out. Johnson clean bowled Vettori. Two runs from the over.   

DL Vettori b Johnson 9 (21b)

Over 40 || Score 165/6

Elliott survived a big LBW appeal as referral taken by Australia went in batsmen's favour. Off the 2nd ball he got a boundary towards third man. Six runs from the last batting powerplay over. 

Over 39 || Score 159/6

Starc to continue. And the strike bowler bowled a tight over and conceded mere two runs.   

Over 38 || Score 157/6

Faulkner with his 6th over. Vettori played a straight drive to hit his first boundary off the match. The left-arm seamer gave six runs in the over. 

Over 37 || Score 151/6

Ronchi Out! Starc managed to produce an outside of Ronchi's bat and Clarke took a sharp catch at 1st slip. NZ are losing the plot in the batting powerplay as they have already lost three wickets in the first two overs. Daniel Vettori is the new man in. 

L Ronchi c Clarke b Starc 0 (4b)

Over 36 || Score 150/5

Batting Powerplay! Ross Taylor Out! Faulkner provided Australia a crucial wicket. Slower first ball, fuller in length, Taylor only managed an outside edge and Haddin took an athletic catch behind the wickets. Corey Anderson clean bowled! Faulkner yorked the batsman, who missed the line completely and got clean bowled for a duck. Ronchi is the new man to the crease. 

CJ Anderson b Faulkner 0 (2b)

LRPL Taylor c Haddin b Faulkner 40 (72b) 

Over 35 || Score 150/3

Legendary cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar is also present at SCG to watch the World Cup final. Ellitott guided the fifth ball fine towards third man to get a boundary. Eight came from the over. NZ touched the 150-run mark as well.      

Over 34 || Score 142/3

Elliott played a late cut to get a boundary towards fine third man off the first ball by Hazlewood. Then came four singles from the over as eight runs came off it.  

Over 33 || Score 134/3

Watson bowled a superb over as he gave mere two runs in it. Australian bowlers have to bowl a couple of tight overs to put some pressure on these two batsmen, so that they can do some mistake while trying to up the ante.  

Over 32 || Score 132/3

Maxwell is finishing his overs swiftly. The offie conceded six runs from his 7th over. Oz have to break this partnership before NZ take their batting powerplay.  

Over 31 || Score 126/3

Johnson with his sixth over. Elliott is placing the good balls for singles and hitting boundaries off the loose balls -- a strategy that has worked well for him thus far. Five singles from the over.  

Over 30 || Score 121/3

Tight over by Maxi as he gave mere three runs in it. Anything over 250 would be a challenging total on this ground of SCG.  

Over 29 || Score 118/3

Johnson is back into the attack. This partnership between Elliott-Taylor is growing dangerously. They have already added 79 runs for the 4th wicket.  

Over 28 || Score 115/3

Wih the help of a single, Elliott completed his half-century off the last ball. He reached the mark with the help of three boundaries and a six. Seven runs came in the over.  

Over 27 || Score 108/3

Watson is testing the batsmen with well directed bouncers. Taylor edged the bowler fine towards third man to get a boundary off the third ball. Good over for NZ as nine runs came off it. And with that Kiwis crossed the 100-run mark as well.  

Over 26 || Score 99/3

In the 3rd ball, Elliott smashed Faulkner between cover and long off region to get a boundary. Six from the over.

Over 25 || Score 93/3

Shane Watson introduced into the attack for the first time. Clarke is juggling his bowlers too much at the moment. Elliott is not missing any single opportunity to score a big shot. Watson conceded four runs from his opening over.   

Over 24 || Score 89/3

Faulkner back into the attack. Elliott hit the seamer over extra covers to collect his 2nd boundary. In the meanwhile, Taylor- Elliott completed fifty-run stand for the fourth wicket. 

Over 23 || Score 83/3

In the forth ball, Elliott top edged Starc for a six over fine leg. But that was the only scoring shot from the over. Elliott is living dangerously at the moment. Luck has been on his side thus far.   

Over 22 || Score 77/3

Both the batsmen are targeting Maxwell at the moment. Elliott hit his first ball for a boundary as seven came from the over.  

Over 21 || Score 70/3

Aggressive captaincy by Clarke as he brought his best bowler Mitchell Starc into the attack. It means the skipper needs a wicket here. Four from the over. 

Over 20 || Score 66/3

Reverse lap by Elliott in the 20th over bowed by Maxi to take a double. A strange shot by the batsman. And then Elliott survived through a referral as filed umpire gave him LBW off Maxwell. Seven runs came in the last two overs.     

Over 18 || Score 59/3

Maxwell with his 2nd over. The offie conceded five in it.   

Over 17 || Score 54/3

Bowling change! James Faulkner into the attack. Elliott played a match-winning knock in the semi-finals and became the overnight star for Black Caps. His team need another such innings from him. Tight over by the left-arm seamer as he gave mere three runs in it.  

Over 16 || Score 51/3

Hazlewood with his 7th over. Taylor flicked the seamer towards deep square leg to run three. Then came a single off the 4th ball. In the meanwhile, NZ crossed the 50-run mark. Four runs from the over.     

Over 15 || Score 47/3

Taylor is looking in good nick from the first ball he played. In the 3rd ball he played cover drive off Johnson to get three runs. Off the last ball came a double from Elliott's willow as six runs came in the over.  

Over 13 || Score 41/3

Johnson Strikes, Kane Williamson Out! Soft dismissal. A double minded right-hander gave a simple catch back to the bowler. NZ are now on the back-foot. James Elliott is the new man in.

KS Williamson c & b Johnson 12 (33b)    

Over 12 || Score 38/2

Spin for the first time. Maxwell set to bowl the over. Guptill Out! In trying to play a back-foot punch, he missed the line completely and the ball crashed into his stumps. Ross Taylor is the new man in. And he started his innings with a boundary towards cover region. Six runs from the over.     

MJ Guptill b Maxwell 15 (34b)

Over 11 || Score 33/1

Off the third ball, Johnson bowled a peach of a delivery, which not only missed the outside edge of Willimson's bat and but also his off stump by a whisker. Two runs from the over.  

Over 10 || Score 31/1

Williamson played played a super off drive to get his first boundary. It must have given him a much need confidence. He then pulled Hazlewood for a double. Seven from the over. First ten overs belonged to Oz.    

Over 9 || Score 24/1

First bowling change as Mitchell Johnson replaced Starc. He is bowling quick, ticking 148 km/h at regular intervals. Excellent over first up by the speedster as he gave just a single.   

Over 8 || Score 23/1

Maiden over by Hazlewood. It's a superb display of fast bowling by both the strike bowlers.  

Mitchell Starc has been just outstanding in this WC.He is bowling aggressive,swinging the ball& bowling the right length.V.Impressed.#CWC15 — VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) March 29, 2015

Over 7 || Score 23/1

Strac with his 4th over. He is asking difficult questions from both the batsmen. He has emerged as a premier bowler of the tournament. Another excellent over, one run from it.  

Over 6 || Score 23/1

Guptill, who has been the among the leading run-scorer of the tournament, has to play a key role here if NZ want to put up a challenging total. Four from the over. 

Over 5 || Score 18/1

Williamson opened his account with the help of flashy drive towards third man for single, in the last ball. Another tight over by the left-arm seamer as single came off it.  

Over 4 || Score 17/1

In trying to pull Hazlewood, Guptill got the top edge of his bat as the ball went for a six over wicket-keepers head. That's the only scoring shot in the over.   

Over 3 || Score 11/1

Kane Williamson is the new man in. Guptill played an expensive drive in the 4th ball towards cover to get his first boundary. Single off the last as five came in the over.   

Over 2 || Score 6/1

Hazlewood to bowl the 2nd over. The towering seamer too is right on the money from the word go. Off the 4th ball came the first boundary off the match, in the form of leg-byes. Five from the over.    

Over 1 || Score 1/1

Guptill open his and team's account with the help of a single through gully region off the 2nd ball. Starc strikes! He bowled a peach of a delivery to clean bowled Brandon McCullum. Excellent start by Australia. 

BB McCullum b Starc 0 (3b)   

NZ openers -- Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill -- are walking up to the middle to start the proceedings. Mitchell Starc to bowl the opening over.  

It's time for the National Anthems. 

It's a last ODI for Australian skipper Michael Clarke, who announced his retirement on Saturday. So the Aussies would love to give their skipper a fitting farewell today. On the other side, Kiwis, who have played outstanding cricket throughout the tournament, would like to lift this trophy for their veteran player Daniel Vettori.       

Black Caps have to put up a challenging total in front of Aussies, then only they can put some pressure on the home side. If NZ win today's encounter they will create history by winning it for the first time. If Oz win it, it would be their 5th title.      

Toss: Heads is the call from Kiwi skipper and heads it is. New Zealand have won the toss and decided to bat first.   

Toss might play a crucial role in the summit match. TV experts are expecting that whoever will win the toss will bat first.   

Finally, cricket's big day has arrived to crown the champions of 11th World Cup. Two neighbours, who are also the co-hosts of the tournament, will play in the final at the imposing Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The Kiwis are unbeaten but have played all their matches at home and now travel to meet the four-time winners. It's also New Zealand's first final having beaten South Africa in the semi-final. They have lost all their six previous semi-finals.

Aussies, who have won the titles in 1987, 1999, 2003 and 2007, have beaten defending champions India in their last four match and their only lost in the tournament was against the Kiwis in a pool match. But they will start as the clear favourites to win the final playing at the MCG, which is known to be one their preferred grounds.

The last time these two teams played at the MCG, in 2008, the Kiwis won the match.

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Teams (From):

Australia: Michael Clarke (captain), David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Brad Haddin (wk), Shane Watson, James Faulkner, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson, Xavier Doherty, Pat Cummins, George Bailey, Mitchell Marsh

New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (captain), Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Corey Anderson, Grant Elliott, Luke Ronchi (wk), Daniel Vettori, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Kyle Mills, Nathan McCullum, Mitchell McClenaghan, Tom Latham

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Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena and Richard Kettleborough

Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle

Match Starts: 9 am (IST).