The Buzz | Australia beats NZ to win its 5th Cricket World Cup title

Michael Clarke raised his bat to acknowledge the massive crowd, and nodded to a fallen teammate he credited for inspiring Australia’s run to a fifth World Cup title that culminated with an emphatic win over New Zealand.
Clarke scored 74 and shared a 112-run partnership with Steve Smith (56 not out) as the skipper and the likely future captain spearheaded Australia to the winning target of 184 in the 34th over at the Melbourne Cricket Ground yesterday.
It didn’t end absolutely perfectly for Clarke, who also played in the winning team in 2007, when he was bowled by Matt Henry nine runs short of the target in his 245th and last one-day international. But it was close enough. Smith hit the winning runs as Australia reached 186-3 for a seven-wicket victory.

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