2015 event rated as most popular Cricket World Cup of all time

Celebrations at the MCG after the World Cup 2015 final

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has hailed the recently concluded 2015 ICC World Cup as the most popular in the tournament’s 40-year history.

The World Cup which was hosted by two neighbouring nations, Australia and New Zealand, drew global television viewership of around a billion and a record attendance of 1.1 million spectators in 49 matches played over 44 days. 10 of those matches recorded a crowd of over 40,000.

The final between Australia and New Zealand was hosted at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Australia and attracted a record crowd of over 93,000, surpassing the previous best which was 87,182.

Australia defeated New Zealand by 7 wickets in the final and clinched their 5th Word Cup trophy in eleven editions. James Faulkner was awarded the Man of the Match gag for his spell of 3 wickets for 36 runs with the ball and Mitchell Starc, the Man of the Series for his tally of 22 wickets at 10.18 runs per wicket.

The Aussies also have a staggering 72% win percentage in World Cup history, which is comfortably the highest for any team. The 2019 Cricket World Cup will be hosted by England and Wales from 30 May to 15 July, 2019.