Australia Crush New Zealand, Claim Historic Fifth Cup

Clarke said he would keep on wearing the blackband on his arm with PH (Phillip Hughes) inscribed on it.

"The blackband is, you can see PH written on it. I will wear it every game I play for Australia. Tonight is dedicated to our little brother Phil Hughes. Hughesy used to party as good as any of them as we have won for him tonight,” he said.

The skipper credited New Zealand for being a “tough team to beat” throughout the tournament.

"Brendon (McCullum) and New Zealand deserve a lot of credit. (They are) always a tough team to beat, whenever we play them in any sport. So, well done to Baz and his team, especially personally, he had an amazing performance."

New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum said they might not have won the World Cup but they played a good brand of cricket and walk away with their heads held high.

"Didn't lift the trophy but no regrets. The brand of cricket we've played and we walk away with our heads held high," McCullum said after the match.

"It's the greatest time of our lives and that's how we tried to play the game, with a free spirit and heart. Still think we can be very proud of our achievements in this tournament. We ran into an outstanding team in Australia. They continue to set the standard. Michael Clarke bows out on a high note, they deserved to win," he concluded.

Australian all-rounder James Faulkner, who was adjudged the "Player of the Match" said that his team brought out their 'A' game against New Zealand here on Sunday.

"We brought out our 'A' game today against New Zealand. It's an amazing feeling. To play in front of 93,013 fans here at the MCG and win a World Cup is amazing," Faulkner said after receiving the award from former Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar.
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