Men's Cricket World Cup 2015 – Overview

Dates: 14 February to 29 March 2015

Location: Australia and New Zealand

Number of teams: 14 – Afghanistan qualified for the tournament for the first time

Overs per innings: 50

Number of matches: 49

Format: Teams divided into two groups of seven each, with each team in a group playing the six others. The top four progressed to the quarter-finals, the winners of which reached the semi-finals.

Semi-finals: AB de Villiers (65* off 45 balls) and David Miller (49 off 18) exploded after a rain interruption to lift South Africa to 281/5 in 43 overs in Auckland against New Zealand. Chasing an adjusted target of 298 in 43 overs, Brendon McCullum blazed away to 59 off 26, before Grant Elliott sealed a dramatic result with a six off Dale Steyn on the penultimate ball, consigning South Africa to more World Cup heartache.

In Sydney, Aaron Finch and centurion Steve Smith added 182 runs for the second wicket. Cameos by James Faulkner (21 off 12) and Mitchell Johnson (27* off nine) set up a challenging 328/7. Johnson then triggered a batting collapse and combined with Faulkner to bundle India out for 233.

Finals: McCullum's fiery starts had been crucial to New Zealand's success, so when Mitchell Starc uprooted the captain's off-stump with a beauty that swung in, sending him back for zero, it was a body blow. Faulkner ended the resistance from Ross Taylor and Elliott, and unlike in the group stage match between these teams, Australia were clearly on top at the half-way stage.

Years ago, 183 had been a winning score in a final, but not this time. Steve Smith and Michael Clarke made steady half-centuries, with the captain, in his final game for Australia, bowing out with 74.

Top run-scorer: Martin Guptill – 547 runs

Top wicket-taker: Mitchell Starc and Trent Boult – 22 wickets

Player of the Series: Mitchell Starc

Retirements: Michael Clarke, Mahela Jayawardene, Daniel Vettori

World Cup song: Bob’s Beat by WDL and Mawe