Join the debate at #bbccricketpublished at 07:26 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
BBC Hindi's Nitin Srivastava: Am afraid we may see a 1999 WC type final if NZ don't apply themselves now!
Summary
Australia win fifth World Cup
Victory secured with 16.5 overs spare
Captain Clarke 74 and Smith 56 not out
Faulkner 3-36 & Johnson 3-30 in NZ's 183
Starc bowled McCullum in first over
Faulker man of match; Starc man of CWC
93,013 crowd in Melbourne; NZ won toss
Join the debate at #bbccricketpublished at 07:26 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
NZ 157-6 (Elliott 73*, Vettori 5*)published at 07:23 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
Faulkner is back over the wicket to the left-handed Vettori. The former Black Caps skipper, whose 18-year international career has turned him from gawky, speccy student to grizzly, bearded veteran, is off the mark as he drills a four back past the bowler. A single allows him to keep the strike.
Join the debate at #bbccricketpublished at 07:23 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
Dan Gee: As a speccy, named Dan, with facial hair, who bowls, I hope my NZ cousin can turn things around.
NZ 152-6published at 07:20 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
Australia's tails are up, and Faulkner is charging in bowling left-arm round the wicket in the style made so famous by Wasim Akram. Elliott, upon whom so much rests now, can only manage a leg bye to rotate the strike. Something's up with a tarpaulin next to the sightscreen, so there's a brief delay.
Postpublished at 07:20 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport in Melbourne"And in the space of eight balls, the game has turned. A brilliant catch, a good ball, an awful stroke. The noise that had left the MCG has been pumped back in, the crowd roaring back to life. Gold (yellow) crawls all over black. A man born in Johannesburg you feel is New Zealand's last hope of World Cup glory."
Postpublished at 07:20 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special"Brad Haddin's had plenty to say all day. He's just ran past Grant Elliott, possibly reminding him that it's all on him. From experience of playing against players like Haddin, they don't really swear. They just like to remind you of the pressure and any technical flaws you may have."
NZ 151-6published at 07:17 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
Daniel Vettori, who may be playing his final international match according to the hints his skipper dropped a couple of days ago, plays and misses at Starc - and somehow survives the over. Brad Haddin, who's taken some stick on social media for the "send-off" he gave Martin Guptill earlier, is still chirping away at the NZ batsmen between overs.
Postpublished at 07:17 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special"Great captaincy, having a slip in place. It was a good catch. Mitchell Starc is geeing up the Aussies, but Luke Ronchi hasn't found any form in this World Cup. Talk about a turnaround."
Listen to TMS commentary via the audio tab.
Image source, Getty ImagesWICKETpublished at 07:13 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
Mitchell Starc returns, and Ronchi edges straight to the skipper at first slip, and as the Clarke-Starc combo celebrates, Ronchi is sloping off accompanied by the Channel 9 cartoon duck. It's been a pretty wonky World Cup for Ronchi.
Wheels well and truly coming off the NZ bandwagon here. The previous delivery before the wicket, Elliott was nearly run out after prodding a hesitant single straight to Steve Smith at backward point.
Image source, AFPJoin the debate at #bbccricketpublished at 07:13 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
Rana W U Rehman: This is game over. Australia will start their dominance over world cricket once again from today for another decade.
NZ 150-5published at 07:11 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
The new batsman is Luke Ronchi, who was born in New Zealand but emigrated to Australia and played four ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals for the Aussies before requalifying for his native NZ and playing for them from 2013 onwards.
A World Cup final at the MCG is a far cry from when he plied his trade in the Southern League for Bashley (Rydal) CC, a club based in a New Forest village in Hampshire. He sees out a potentially game-changing over from Faulkner.
Image source, Getty ImagesPostpublished at 07:11 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special"It's full and straight from Faulkner, and the batsman plays all around it. I love the way Faulkner plays, he's so competitive and in your face. If New Zealand aren't careful they won't score a competitive total because the next man in, Luke Ronchi, has not been in the best of form."
WICKETpublished at 07:07 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
So, Corey Anderson in next - the powerful left-hander with forearms like tree trunks who wields his bat like a mighty axe. But Faulkner chops him down second ball with a full, straight yorker which Anderson plays all around. Timber!
Image source, Getty ImagesHow's stat?!published at 07:07 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statisticianToday's final saw Taylor and Elliott strike their second 100 partnership in ODIs.
Elliott has had 24 partnerships with Taylor in ODIs. He has not had more than nine with anyone else.
Elliott & Taylor are the only players in this NZ team who have scored ODI 100s against Australia.
Postpublished at 07:07 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special"That took too long to come to a conclusion. I don't know what they were looking for. It's the worst possible start to the powerplay for New Zealand, losing a wicket to the first ball. Ross Taylor had played well."
Listen to TMS commentary via the audio tab.
WICKETpublished at 07:05 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
It initially looks a clean catch, it takes a few replays - but the verdict from third umpire Marais Erasmus is out.
Image source, Getty ImagesPostpublished at 07:04 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special"There's no question it carried for me, it's a brilliant catch by Brad Haddin. It was a back of the hand slower ball."
Third umpirepublished at 07:04 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
Batting powerplay on, Faulkner to bowl, the first ball sees an appeal for a catch behind against Taylor as he pokes at a wide yorker and Haddin leaps to his right to catch the ball in the webbing of his glove - but umpire Dharmasena's not sure and sends it upstairs...
2003: Ponting leads by examplepublished at 07:04 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
The eighth World Cup in 2003 - hosted by South Africa, with games also in Zimbabwe and Kenya - saw Australia triumph with a perfect record, winning all their 11 matches in a tournament now swollen to 14 teams playing 54 games across six weeks.
By now, Ricky Ponting was Australia's one-day captain, and he starred in the final with 140 not out, aided by Damien Martyn's unbeaten 88, as they thrashed India around the Wanderers Stadium, posting 359-2.
Despite Virender Sehwag's 82 at the top of the order, India fell well short and were bowled out for 234 in the 40th over.
Final (Johannesburg): Australia beat India by 125 runs
Image source, Getty ImagesNZ 150-3published at 07:03 British Summer Time 29 March 2015
Watson opens up with a legside wide, and there are a couple of nervy moments as Taylor hooks a bouncer into the air but out of the reach of a fielder - while a dab to third man from Elliott beats the diving Haddin where it would have been gobbled up by an orthodox second slip.
Meanwhile, the TV pictures show a certain Sachin Tendulkar watching the game down from the posh seats. He top-scored in the 2003 World Cup, but it wasn;t enough for India...