Cricket World Cup final: Australia win 'one of most incredible', says Michael Vaughan

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Australia beat India to win their sixth Cricket World Cup

By Sam Drury
BBC Sport

The current Australia team are worthy of comparison to the legendary sides of the 1990s and early 2000s after "the most incredible World Cup victory", says Michael Vaughan.

Pat Cummins' side stunned hosts India to win the men's 50-over World Cup in Ahmedabad to add to a growing trophy haul in recent years.

In 2023 alone, Australia won the World Test Championship and retained the Ashes prior to their World Cup triumph, while they also won the T20 World Cup in 2021.

As such, Vaughan believes this group of players are "moving away from that shadow" of the great sides led by Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, who won three World Cups in a row between 1999 and 2007.

"I have this as one of the real great World Cup victories," the former England captain said on BBC Test Match Special.

"If you look at this group of players, you always feel they are living in the shadow of that great side of the 90s and early 2000s. They won three World Cups on the trot and pretty much won everywhere.

"But if you actually start to monitor what this group of players have done in the last few years, they won the World Cup in Australia in 2015, they've retained two Ashes in the UK but pretty much hammered England in Australia, they've won a T20 World Cup, they're the world Test champions and now they're the World Cup winners in India.

"This group now needs to be talked about in a similar vein."

Australia overcame an India side who had won all 10 of their previous World Cup games on home soil.

Rohit Sharma's side were favourites going into the final with the vast majority of the 92,453-strong crowd at the Narendra Modi Stadium backing India, but a brilliant century from Travis Head ensured the now six-time champions cruised to victory with seven overs to spare.

"To win a World Cup in India, against this India side, against this crowd, everything about the whole operation of this World Cup has been about India - the force that they are," Vaughan added.

"Australia have completely silenced that on this day in front of so many, on a pitch that is much more suited to the home team than an Australian side.

"The most incredible World Cup victory I've seen, against all odds."

'Top of the mountain'

'Outstanding' Head's 137 guides Australia to World Cup win

Few would have predicted that Cummins would end up lifting the trophy after Australia lost their first two games of the tournament.

However, they proceeded to win nine in a row to continue Australia's remarkable record in this competition.

"You've got to win a World Cup. You can't just wait for it to happen," Cummins said.

"You have to be brave at times and take the game on and there was a real shift after those first two games. The openers went really aggressive and they didn't really waiver from that after that. There was total buy-in from the group."

Key to that was Head, who missed the first five games of the World Cup after fracturing his left hand in a one-day international against South Africa in September.

The left-hander scored a century in his first game back, a half-century in the semi-final and was named player of the match in the final after another fantastic ton.

"Travis [Head] just did what he does," Cummins added. "He was really brave and took the game on and put the pressure back on.

"To do it on the biggest stage shows a lot of character.

"It was amazing. The unheralded few, the selectors that backed him in and the medical team that got him back. It was a big risk that we took but it paid off. I couldn't be happier for Trav, he's a legend. How fun is he to watch?"

Having lifted the World Test Championship trophy and the Ashes urn in the last six months, Cummins rated victory in India as the best of the lot.

"It has been crazy," he said. "This year is one we'll remember for a long, long time.

"It has been awesome and we've pretty much spent the whole Aussie winter away playing, and we've had a lot of success, but this pips it all. It is top of the mountain."

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