The roller coaster has been running exclusively on Kiwi rails because they have played all their matches on home soil until now, no doubt to ensure "house full" signs. The money men have succeeded in that but might just have done the players a disservice because New Zealand's chances of victory in the final will depend on just how well they have been able to adjust to Australian conditions in the last few days.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has led his side to their first-ever Cricket World Cup final where they will face arch rivals Australia ©Getty Images



Many were unhappy about the length of the tournament and it does seem an awfully long time since the whole thing started in Christchurch on Valentine's Day. It took over a month to reduce 14 teams to eight for the quarter-finals.

This was a tournament when batting records have tumbled as never before. Chris Gayle of the West Indies hit the first World Cup double century, but even his towering 215 was soon eclipsed by 237 not out from New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill. Australian captain Michael Clarke is among those to predict a triple centurion in one day cricket sooner rather than later.

South Africa's star man AB de Villiers had earlier plundered 162 off only 66 balls in a rapid assault on the West Indies and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara hit a record four consecutive centuries. Heavier bats, powerplay restrictions on where fielders can be placed and shorter boundaries have all conspired to tilt the odds in favour of batsmen. Six of the top ten World Cup totals over the last 40 years came at this tournament, led by Australia's record 417 for 6 against Afghanistan in Perth.

Sure, there have been a few mismatches but the part played by the four Associate Member nations (AKA the minnows) should not be discounted.

The Afghans drew a lot of attention just by being there but they returned home with their heads held high and a win under their belts. United Arab Emirates had their first World Cup centurion in Shaiman Anwar and Kyle Coetzer reached three figures for Scotland.

The so-called lesser teams, such as Ireland, led by William Porterfield, have more than played their part in an excellent World Cup ©Getty Images



Ireland, with enthusiastic support from the "Blarney Army", beat the West Indies, once mighty in this form of the game and World Champions in 1975 and 1979. A thrilling five-run victory over Zimbabwe in Hobart was arguably the most compelling finale of any group match  This meeting of two so called unfashionable sides had television viewers gripped.

Yet the next tournament in 2019 will, as things stand, be restricted to ten nations. Qualification seems likely to be decided on one day international rankings.

Ireland captain William Porterfield made an impassioned plea on BBC Radio on behalf of the Associates. "It is shutting the door on teams. You have to give them opportunity to qualify," he said.

Porterfield's team were not the only men in Green to enjoy themselves. Bangladesh reached the last eight for the first time. Their passage was sealed by a big finish against disappointing England captained by Irish-born Eoin Morgan. He was criticised with some justification for his performance with the bat. He was also, rather unfairly, vilified for not singing the national anthem. England's 1966 World Cup winning footballers were not singers either, but no one seemed to mind back then.

Michael Clarke (left) and Brendon McCullum are unlikely to use the tactics implemented by their predecessors when they faced off back in 1981 in Melbourne ©Getty Images



At World Cup 2015 though, music whether appropriate or not, was considered essential to what the marketing men call "sports presentation". Every boundary greeted by razzamatazz and hoopla which even 30 years ago would have been considered simply "not cricket". The musical bling of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches is obviously what organisers had in mind but for the purist, it actually detracted from the atmosphere.

The closest World Cup final came in 1987 when Australia edged home against England by only seven runs. A similar finale in Melbourne might even persuade them to can that wretched music. At least bearing in mind what happened 34 years ago on that ground, the regulations have been changed to prevent any repetition of "underarm" problems.