Nobody in this World Cup has to face a rocky path to the title-decider than MICHAEL CLARKE, who has shrugged off fitness fears, talk of rifts with team-mates, coach and selectors and form concerns to guide Australia through to the final against New Zealand today.

Clarke missed Australia’s opening World Cup game against England as he recovered from hamstring surgery during the Test series against India amid fears that he may not play again. And while Clarke has largely been a peripheral figure for the Australian team in the tournament with one half-century in five knocks his leadership has not been questioned. But his tiff with Cricket Australia has led to a spate of unpleasant episodes.

His last ODI century came against England in Manchester in September 2013 and up to the World Cup Clarke had played in only six ODIs in the previous year.

Clarke, who turns 34 next week and has a history of chronic back problems from an early age and will hang up his boots from the ODI format at the MCG today.

Victory in the final will be a career pinnacle for Clarke, who has won 49 of his 73 ODIs as Australian skipper.

When BRENDON McCULLUM took over as captain of New Zealand in December 2014, the team was engulfed by dressing-room strife. Now, just over two years later, the Black Caps are in their first World Cup final and the muscular, multi-skilled McCullum is being feted as a national hero.

The 33-year-old opener has sport in his blood. In his schooldays, he was selected ahead of future All Blacks superstar Dan Carter in a regional rugby team but learned to love cricket hanging around the grounds of New Zealand while his father Stuart carved out a first-class career with Otago from the 1970s to 1990s.

Older brother Nathan is also a New Zealand Test and ODI player, although he is likely to be watching the final sidelines as he has yet to be selected for a game at the World Cup.

Facing the Australians in front of around 90,000 people at the MCG will not daunt the skipper, who needed all his battling qualities when he assumed the leadership of the team in 2012 under controversial circumstances when Ross Taylor was shown the door.

But the Black Caps have emerged as potential world champions, a dream that could be realised today.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play