Melbourne, March 28: The biggest match of ICC World Cup 2015 will be played tomorrow at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). It is the final. Two teams, both co-hosts - Australia and New Zealand. They both played and won on the opening day (February 14) but the same will not happen on the final day (March 29) as one will lose.
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After 48 matches and 43 days of action, we are left with the two best sides in the 11th edition of the tournament. Who will take the trophy?
Here is what you all need to know about the FINAL
# Venue - Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), second time hosting the final (1st in 1992)
# Start time - 9 AM IST (2.30 PM Local) Day/night match
# Teams - Australia and New Zealand
# World rankings - Australia Number 1. New Zealand Number 4
# Captains - Michael Clarke (Australia) and Brendon McCullum (New Zealand)
# World Cup titles won - Australia - 4 (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007). New Zealand - 0
# Final appearances - Australia - 7th (2 lost - 1975, 1996). New Zealand - First
# MCG capacity - 90,000
# Australia captain Michael Clarke will retire from ODIs after tomorrow's match
# Sri Lanka's Kumar Dharmasena will tomorrow become the first person to play in World Cup final as well as officiate as an umpire. He played in 1996 final against Pakistan and won the trophy
# If the final ends in a tie, Super Over will be used to decide the winner. Read here
# If the match is interrupted by rain, it will resume from the same point the next day (1 reserve day). Full rules here
World Cup head-to-head record (9 meetings)
Australia won 6; New Zealand won 3
Squads
Australia: Michael Clarke (captain), George Bailey (vice-captain), Aaron Finch, David Warner, Steve Smith, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner, Brad Haddin (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty.
New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (captain), Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Corey Anderson, Grant Elliott, Luke Ronchi (wicketkeeper), Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Daniel Vettori, Trent Boult.
Match officials for the final
Tournament statistics for the finalists
Australia
Best average - 10.02 - Starc
Best economy - 2.80 - Michael Clarke
New Zealand
How they reached the final
Australia (6 wins, 1 loss, 1 no result)
New Zealand (8 wins in a row)
Prize money breakdown (in US dollars)
Winner - $3,250,000
Runner-up - $1,500,000
Note: If a team wins the trophy without losing a match, they will receive a total prize money of $4,020,000, while a team that loses one match on the way to winning the tournament will get $3,975,000
World Cup winning captains
Previous Champions
ICC World Cup 2019 will be held in England
Most World Cups (4) - Australia
2 each - India, West Indies
1 each - Sri Lanka, Pakistan
Man-of-the-match award winners in World Cup finals (1975 to 2011)
About the World Cup Trophy
The current trophy was created for the 1999 championships, and was the first permanent prize in the tournament's history; prior to this, different trophies were made for each World Cup. The trophy was designed and produced in London by a team of craftsmen from Garrard & Co over a period of two months.
The current trophy is made from silver and gilt, and features a golden globe held up by three silver columns.
The columns, shaped as stumps and bails, represent the three fundamental aspects of cricket: batting, bowling and fielding, while the globe characterises a cricket ball. It stands 60cm high and weighs approximately 11kg.
The names of the previous winners are engraved on the base of the trophy, with space for a total of 20 inscriptions.
The original trophy is kept by the ICC. A replica, which differs only in the inscriptions, is permanently awarded to the winning team.
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