Record-setting MCG crowd on hand for World Cup final

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Cricket World Cup came to an end an amid a carnival atmosphere as supporters for co-hosts Australia and New Zealand made up a raucous, record crowd for the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.

The crowd figure eclipsed the Australian cricket one-day attendance record of 91,112 set at the same stadium for the first day of the 2013 Boxing Day test against England.

While green and gold were definitely the dominant colors at the MCG, there were also plenty of black caps and shirts keeping off the Melbourne sun. As well as the odd Crocodile Hunter, ballerina and kangaroo.

A significant number of Indian fans in their blue team colors joined the celebration despite Mahendra Singh Dhoni's squad missing the final after a semifinals loss to Australia on Thursday.

There were some men wearing turbans and Australian or New Zealand shirts, indicating at least some of the ex-pat Indian communities had reverted to their "second team" for the final.

The sporting rivalry between the Antipodean neighbors is a long one, but it is usually maintained by Australia and New Zealand's rugby teams which play for the annual Bledisloe Cup.

Despite their proximity, Australia and New Zealand have rarely met recently on the cricket pitch, with the last ODI match in Melbourne between them prior to the World Cup being played six years ago.

The Australian flags throughout the ground had the biggest workout in the first innings, as New Zealand's wickets tumbled regularly.