‘Ultimate match’ excites McCullum

Melbourne, March 28: New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said he was excited, not intimidated, at the prospect of leading his country in their first World Cup final when they face old foes Australia at the gigantic Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.

Australia, the top-ranked side in one-day international cricket, are bidding for a fifth World Cup title and will be considered favourites on home turf at the MCG where New Zealand last played an ODI in 2009.

But the Black Caps are the only unbeaten team in the tournament, having won eight games in a row.

“We are not intimidated, we are excited,” McCullum said Saturday. “This has been the greatest time of our lives. We dreamed right from the start and to reach the final is an amazing achievement.”

New Zealand crossed the semifinal hurdle for the first time in seven attempts to leave an enthralled rugbymad nation backing their cricketers to take home cricket’s biggest global prize.

“We’ve had some tremendous support back home and also from around the world,” said McCullum. “The brand of cricket that we’ve played has really touched a lot of people and endeared ourselves to a lot of people who follow this game. Hopefully, if we play well we’ll be smiling at the end of the day.”

McCullum said the fans would see a contest between two evenly-matched teams. “There is no challenge which is insurmountable with a lot of hard work, a lot of heart, a lot of belief and making sure that everyone’s heading in the same direction. I guess this is the ultimate game for us,” he said. — AFP