Australia lauded for World Cup win
Australia lauded its World Cup winning team today for a "fairytale" victory on home soil over New Zealand, with praise heaped on retiring one-day captain Michael Clarke after a dream farewell.
Clarke hit 74 as Australia cruised home by seven wickets in a one-sided final in front of a record crowd of 93,013 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
The win, culminating a gruelling tournament, was front page news across the country with The Australian newspaper saying: "Pitch perfect Australia lives the dream to claim fifth World Cup."
"Michael Clarke's side made easy work of New Zealand at the MCG, much as they had with India in the semi-final and Pakistan in the quarter."
The Sydney Daily Telegraph focused on the outgoing Clarke, who announced his retirement from the one-day international format on the eve of the final.
"Lifting the trophy provided Clarke the fairytale ending that seemed so unlikely in November, when his chronic hamstrings again betrayed him and the ambition of captaining a World Cup winning team appeared far-fetched," it added.
The captain, wearing a black armband, dedicated the win to Phillip Hughes, the team-mate who died after being hit on the head by a bouncer last year, which the Telegraph said was a fitting tribute.
Bleary-eyed Australians celebrate World Cup win
Australian players sheltered behind dark glasses today at a public reception the day after their victory over New Zealand in the final of the Cricket World Cup.
Captain Michael Clarke carried the World Cup trophy and, as the players mounted the stage in front of thousands of fans at open-air Federation Square, they smiled wanly and waved to the crowd.
Clarke was asked what the over-riding emotion was on the day after Australia had achieved its fifth World Cup and he grinned and said: "We're all a bit hung over to be honest."
"Of course no silverware could erase the painful memories of Phillip Hughes' tragic and traumatising death," cricket writer Richard Hinds said.
"Yet, at the twilight of a confronting, even brutal summer, this was rich reward for Australia's experience, endurance and composure."
With Clarke choosing to now focus on Test cricket, The Age in Melbourne said the team was in transition but was in good hands with Steve Smith expected to be named his successor.
"In Michael Clarke and Steven Smith, two generations of Australian cricket steered their team through the final leg of their long trek to a fifth World Cup," wrote Malcolm Knox, the Fairfax Media cricket writer.
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