Kiwis descend on MCG to cheer on Black Caps

MELBOURNE: Kiwi fans daubed in black came out in droves on Saturday to support New Zealand on the eve of their team’s first World Cup final, against fierce rivals Australia in Melbourne.
Fans gathered around the nets outside the vast Melbourne Cricket Ground arena to get a glimpse of their heroes training under cool cloudy skies.
According to government statistics there are about 650,000 New Zealand citizens living in Australia, which is around 15 percent of the population of New Zealand.
The huge diaspora of Kiwis residing in Australia means there is passionate support for their rugby and cricket teams whenever they cross the Tasman to take on the greater-resourced ‘big brother’.
There was a brisk trade inside the merchandising tent outside the ground with supporters, predominantly New Zealanders, snapping up playing shirts, flags and caps for Sunday’s final which is expected to draw an 80,000-90,000 crowd.
Australia, bidding for a fifth title, remain resolutely confident of another success in a World Cup final, particularly at home, and Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper Saturday ran a triumphalist piece headlined: “New Zealand won’t win and here’s why.”
But Kiwi journalist Dylan Cleaver got his own back in the Sydney Daily Telegraph, contrasting levels of support for Australia and New Zealand’s semi-final wins in Sydney and Auckland respectively.
“If there had been more than one Australian to 10 Indians in the crowd I’m sure there would have been a few signs of life in the place,” he wrote.