New Zealand win the toss and will bat first...

Standby for the toss. Michael Clarke and Brendon McCullum are striding to the middle.

The 1979 Cup was played over the same format, and this time Mike Brearley's England made it to the final against Clive Lloyd's all-conquering West Indies.

Viv Richards (138 not out) and Collis King (86 from 66 balls) feasted on England's threadbare attack, which was sorely lacking a fifth front-line bowler, as they posted 286-9.

Brearley and Geoffrey Boycott added 129 for the first wicket, but at such a slow pace that England were never in the reckoning, and the last eight wickets fell for 11 runs as the remaining batsmen tried in vain to up the rate.

Final (Lord's): West Indies beat England by 92 runs

Image source, Getty Images

Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport in Melbourne

"El Scorchio in Melbourne, both sets of fans mingling together in the sunshine outside the MCG. It's a jovial atmosphere, I know because I faced no hostility when giving out a boxful of BBC Worldwide stress balls on my first trip to the ground. I say first, because I've since had to return to my hotel to retrieve my laptop power cable. Eventful, today of all days."

Image source, Getty Images

Former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick has been talking to BBC World Service about the final, and he believes Michael Clarke is using his retirement as added motivation for his team.

"I find it a little bit strange that he's announced it," said Fitzpatrick. "Maybe he's using it as a form of motivation for the team to play well. He's been a rock for Australia. He's been a phenomenal Test batsman, captain, and also a one-day player extraordinaire, so I take my hat off to him.

"He's chosen to do it this way, but at the end of the day, his performance on the day will be the one that will be remembered, and he wants to give Australian cricket four years to find a successor."

Image source, Getty Images

I wonder who these fans support...

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Mike Johns: Nerves are building but the belief is definitely there #backtheblackcaps

Ben Willmott: Is gonna be a cracking World Cup final! Heart says NZ head says Aus...

Adam Mountford
BBC Test Match Special producer

Good morning from Melbourne. It is Cricket World Cup final day.

Image source, BBC TMS

With advance apologies to my esteemed colleague Stephan Shemilt, I can't let mention of Michael Clarke pass us by without referencing Thursday's news conference.

Have you seen the video yet? Our very own Mr Shemilt accidentally asked Pup about his sex life, rather than his captaincy. If you've not seen it yet, have a gander. I think Stephan has made a friend for life in Steve Smith.

Ahead of today's game, Michael Clarke announced the final will be his last one-day international. He intends to carry on captaining the Test side, but told reporters: "I asked myself if I thought I would be playing in the next World Cup and I don't think I will be.

"A lot of it is giving the next captain and the team the opportunity to prepare and the selectors to work out what they feel is their best squad for the next World Cup.

"I leave the one-day team in a better place than when I took over the captaincy and it gives me my best chance to prolong my Test career."

Image source, AFP

Let's finish the World Cup in style. Let's go mad on social media. Let's flood Twitter and the like with your suggestions for player of the tournament.

There will be a vote up later, but you can also join in the debate by tweeting #bbccricket,, external by sending a text with your name on to 81111 or by pinging an email to tms@bbc.co.uk. You can also post to BBC Sport's Facebook, external and Google+, external pages. Remember to include the reason for your selection.

If you nominate an England player, we'll know you're pulling our leg. If you want some inspiration, the TMS team of the tournament is here.

Four-and-a-half years after Australia and England contested the first one-day international cricket match, the six Test-playing teams, plus Sri Lanka and East Africa, headed to England for the inaugural World Cup, played over 60 overs but only lasting a fortnight.

England won all their group games but lost to Australia in the semi-finals as left-arm swing bowler Gary Gilmour took 6-14. But the Aussies were felled in the final, firstly by West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd's century, and then by their own self-destruction as five men were run out trying to chase down their target.

Final (Lord's): West Indies beat Australia by 17 runs

Image source, Getty Images

During the course of the day, we'll be looking back on previous World Cup finals. Here's our first offering...

Jonathan Agnew
BBC Test Match Special

"You would not want the toss to be such a big influence on a game of this magnitude, but it will play a huge role.

"Whoever wins the toss will bat first, partly because of a statistic that we keep harking back to; no team has scored 300 or more to win a one-day international batting second at the MCG.

"The team that bats first will be looking to rack up a big score in the knowledge that anything in excess of 300 will make them big favourites."

Read more in Jonathan's pre-final blog

We'll bring you the toss in about 20 minutes' time, and let's be honest... that could go a long way to deciding who wins this final. New Zealand might have won all of their games so far in the tournament, including beating Australia in that group-stage thriller in Auckland, but they have played all of their game in their own country.

It's a little different in Australia - the ball doesn't swing as much, the boundaries are bigger and the crowd is going to be considerably in the favour of the hosts.

But that won't faze B-Mac and the boys, will it?

Good morning everyone. Hopefully you've pushed your clocks forward by an hour. Or if you're joining us from outside the UK, perhaps I should offer a good afternoon. You're all welcome and invited to the biggest cricket match of the year so far.

Big-hitting batsmen, fast bowlers and 100,000 spectators inside the cavernous bowl of the MCG. What's not to like about that?

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Nope, Australia's pesky little brother is in town and they are determined to steal the show.

Led by Brendon McCullum, New Zealand are a plucky bunch. They are talented, fearless and never take a step back. But neither do the Aussies, so this morning's final in Melbourne could be spicier than that Saturday night vindaloo you've just polished off.

Think Pakistan versus India, Mayweather versus Pacquiao and Barcelona versus Real Madrid. It really is that big.

Image source, AFP

Cricket World Cups happen every four years. As a rule, there's lots of excitement, drama and then mutterings about how drawn-out it's all been. An associate nation usually beats one of the big boys and everyone asks why Ireland and Co don't get Test status, while South Africa look dominant and lose in the semis. England? Let's not go there.

Then when it all comes to a head, Australia generally win.

But maybe not this time?

Image source, AFP