Good evening everyone and welcome to the ABC Sport coverage of the 2023 Cricket World Cup final!

I’m Simon Smale and I’ll be your eyes and ears for this massive contest between the hosts, India, and perennial Cricket World Cup winners, Australia.

It’s the eighth time Australia has reached the final in the ODI World Cup, the five-time winners always a threat in this competition.

India though will have all the backing of a billion supporters at home and the enormous majority of the 130,000 supporters in the crowd today.

After two memorable semifinals I am thrilled to be in position to bring you the final, so thanks for joining us.