Then and now: Australia's 2015 World Cup heroes

As Australia held up the World Cup in front of 93,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 29, 2015, the sentiment was unanimous: This is a special team. 

After losing one of the great matches to New Zealand in Auckland earlier in the tournament, the Australians swept aside the remainder of their matches, knocked off Pakistan and India in the quarter and semi-finals and were never challenged by the Kiwis in the decider. 

All of Australia's 15-man squad played at least one match throughout the tournament, but for four of them, it would be their final run in ODIs. 

Let's roll back the clock and look at the stage of each player's career heading into the global showpiece and what they achieved in the years that followed. 

David Warner

Having made his ODI debut six years earlier, Warner had yet to truly make his mark in the one-day arena heading into the 2015 World Cup. He did however cement his spot as Aaron Finch's opening partner with 127 against England only two weeks out from the opening match. 

Aside from his mammoth 178 against Afghanistan, there weren't any other big scores in the tournament for Warner, who instead was left to rue not going on with his starts (he reached 20 seven times), which included 45 in the final. 

Things began to blossom for the pocket-rocket as the all-format star began to dominate 50-over format. He scored 173 v South Africa and 156 v New Zealand in 2016, 179 v Pakistan in 2017 and scored three centuries at the 2019 World Cup after returning from his 12-month ban. He bowed out with a second ODI World Cup title in Ahmedabad in 2023, finishing that tournament as Australia's leading run-scorer. 

Warner is still playing T20s leagues; he is the captain of the Sydney Thunder and he was recently selected by the London Spirit in the Hundred draft. 

Aaron Finch

Finch's returns in all three phases are remarkably similar. While Finch had debuted in the 2012-13 season, it wasn't until the 2013-14 summer that he truly sured up his spot in the side. Playing in the post-Ashes ODIs against England, Finch scored two centuries and earned himself the player of the series award, perfect timing with a World Cup just around the corner. 

The Victorian began the tournament with a memorable 135 against England at the MCG but sadly when he returned for the final, he was dismissed for a duck. His other important score was 81 against India in the semi-final in match-winning partnership with Steve Smith. 

Finch continued to rise after his success in 2015, establishing himself as one of Australia's best white-ball batters and making him among the first picked in both limited-overs formats. He became full-time captain of the side in 2018, leading Australia at the 2019 World Cup before calling time on his career in 2022. Finch finished his career inside the top five most ODI centuries by an Australian, with 17. 

Finch's playing days are over, he is now a commentator for Fox Cricket and the ICC. 

Steve Smith

Fresh off a stunning Test summer against India where he plundered four centuries in four Tests, Smith's form couldn't have been better heading into the 2015 World Cup. Adding to his exceptional red-ball record, he also had two ODI centuries for the summer, one against South Africa in November and one against England in the lead-up to the main event.

In the World Cup, things started slowly with 5 against England and 4 against New Zealand, but he quickly regained his touch with 95 against Afghanistan and 72 against Sri Lanka. Come the knockouts, it was peak Smith, with a quarter-final 65 against Pakistan, a magnificent semi-final 105 against India and an unbeaten 56 in the final, which included the winning runs. 

Smith continued to shine in the 50-over format, bookending 2016 with 149 v India in January and 164 v New Zealand in December. Although he didn't set the world on fire in the 2019 World Cup after his unbelievable Ashes campaign that preceeded it, back-to-back 60-ball hundreds against India in 2020 showed Smith had plenty of growth left in him. He was a member of Australia's 2021 T20 World Cup winning side, the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2023 World Test Championship winning sides. 

Following the 2025 Champions Trophy in which Smith was Australian captain, the veteran batter pulled the pin on the format to focus instead on Tests and T20s. 

Michael Clarke

Having been given his ODI debut at only 21, Clarke had long been earmarked for great things. His dominance in both Tests and ODIs had him consistently ranked as one of the best multi-format players in the world and only four years into his international career he was a World Cup winner in 2007. Although his bowling dropped off as his late-career injuries mounted, at his best he was a reliable fifth or sixth bowler with a knack for taking big wickets. 

Clarke was battling serious back and hamstring injuries heading into the Cup, and didn't play any of the lead-in Tri-Series and missed the opening fixture against England, with George Bailey captaining in his place. Clarke returned straight after and held his spot, scoring a gritty 68 against Sri Lanka and an unforgettable 74 in the final.

The World Cup final was Clarke's final ODI match and his final Test would come later in the year after the fifth Ashes Test at the Oval. 

Today, Clarke is a radio presenter, podcaster and occasional commentator. 

Shane Watson

Watson's capability and reliability was unmatched in Australian cricket and he was a vital cog of all three sides for many years. As a batter, he could walk out anywhere in the order and have an impact: His ODI career began at No.7, but between 2008-2013 he was a lock as Aussie opener, which included scores of 185no against Bangladesh and 161no against England. As a bowler, the Watson could swing the new ball and tie things up with the old ball and with an average of almost one wicket per match, he was usually able to strike too. Watson, like Clarke, had won the World Cup eight years earlier. 

Watson began the 2015 World Cup as Australia's No.3, but was swiftly shifted to No.5 as Smith was elevated in his place. As a result, he wasn't able to have a massive impact with the bat, but his unbeaten 64 against Pakistan, and his battle with Wahab Riaz in the quarter-final, will go down in World Cup folklore. 

Curiously, Watson played three more ODIs after the World Cup before drifting off the national radar. His final international match was a T20 in March 2016. 

Watson is a commentator and pundit for the ICC. 

Glenn Maxwell

Maxwell entered the 2015 World Cup as a talented enigma with lots of potential, but perhaps yet to find his best. He had to bat in numerous positions and roles in his first 40 ODIs, but nine half-centuries from 39 innings is nothing to be sneezed at for a middle-order batter. 

The World Cup itself was a total success for Maxwell and vindication to the selectors for persisting with a player who was a whipping boy for many fans. He scored 66 in the opener against England, 88 (off 39) against Afghanistan and his memorable, maiden international century against Sri Lanka – 102 off 53 balls. Of course, there were wickets too, with Maxwell acting as Australia's sole spinner for all bar one match. He grabbed the crucial wickets of Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal in the quarter-final and bowled Kiwi opener Martin Guptill in the final.

Fast forward a decade, and Maxwell has five T20I centuries to his name (an Aussie record) and three more ODI tons. One of those will be remembered longer than the rest – his 201no against Afghanistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup that he completed while battling severe cramps. A forgotten moment of Maxwell's third world title in '23 (following the 2015 ODI and 2021 T20 World Cups) was the 40-ball century he smashed against the Netherlands, the fastest WC century. 

A decade on, Maxwell is still a valued member of Australia's white-ball outfits. 

James Faulkner 

Faulkner had a bonkers 2013, making his ODI debut in February and having a century (116 off 73 v India) by November. He played his sole Test match in the fifth match of the 2013 Ashes series in England too, taking six wickets. The Tasmanian allrounder was quickly becoming more well-known for his batting, earning the nickname 'The Finisher' after inspiring Australia to an unlikely ODI win over England with 69no in a big last-wicket stand with Clint McKay. 

Faulkner's batting was able to take a back seat during the 2015 World Cup as Australia's top order scored big runs. He missed the opening matches with a side strain, but was back into the XI as soon as possible. Always thrown the ball in the big moments, Faulkner held his nerve with 3-48 as Sri Lanka threatened in their chase. Come the semi-final, Faulkner delivered again with 3-59 including some late wickets, and he was player of the match in the final with 3-36 against New Zealand. 

Unfortunately, Faulkner's time as an international cricketer was over by October 2017 when he played his final ODI against India in Nagpur with injuries ultimately curtailing his career. Since the heroics of the World Cup, his impact with the ball had remained largely unchanged but he lost his effectiveness with the bat. He continued to play on in T20 Leagues around the world including in England and Pakistan. 

Faulkner will turn 35 at the end of next month but he hasn't hit or bowled a ball in more than three years. Nowadays, he is in the hospitality game in Hobart.

Brad Haddin

After biding his time as Adam Gilchrist's understudy for many years, Haddin became Australia's first-choice wicketkeeper in all formats following Gilchrist's retirement. But it wasn't all smooth sailing thereafter – Haddin was dropped from the ODI side as a young Matthew Wade entered the conversation. Haddin didn't play a single ODI in 2012 however he was able to recover his spot in the XI in time for the 2015 World Cup. 

With the bat, there really wasn't a great deal for Haddin to do, with the keeper finding himself batting as low as No.8 for the majority of the tournament. When he got his chance though, a strike rate of 157.5 was elite, behind only Brendon McCullum and Glenn Maxwell (minimum 75 balls faced). He took 16 catches behind the stumps, the most of any player, with his catch to remove Ross Taylor in the final both brilliant and crucial. 

Haddin finished up after the triumph, calling time on his ODI career, and would be finished in the Test arena by September that year too. 

Haddin now works as a commentator and podcaster for Fox Cricket and Triple M. 

Mitchell Johnson

Although Johnson's exploits in the Test arena are more fondly remembered, his one-day record is up there with the best Australia has produced in recent years. He was a squad member of the 2007 World Cup win in the Caribbean and led Australia's attack at the 2011 edition in India. It was his performances in an ODI series in the UK that led to his Test recall for his iconic 2013-14 Ashes series, where he memorably destroyed England's batters with 37 wickets in five Tests. 

He took 15 wickets for the World Cup, striking in seven of Australia's eight matches. His best was a four-wicket haul against Afghanistan but most notable was his 3-30 in the final, which included the wicket of Kane Williamson. Despite his feared reputation, Johnson's role for the three finals was first-change bowler, coming into the attack after his young protégés Mitch Starc and Josh Hazlewood. 

Johnson didn't retire from ODIs immediately after the title but pulled the pin on all formats at once, following the Perth Test against New Zealand in the summer that followed. 

Today Johnson is a columnist for the West Australian during summer and is the face of a fast-bowling coaching app called 'Bowlfit'.  

Mitch Starc

The start to Starc's one-day career was excellent, with 61 wickets at 21.27 in his first 33 games. That included four five-wicket hauls, the latest of which was 6-43 against India a month before the World Cup started. Starc's Test career was three years old by this point but he hadn't played more than two consecutive Tests. In ODIs though, they couldn't leave him out. 

Starc's World Cup campaign was one for the ages – claiming 22 wickets at the insane average of 10.18, the equal-most in the tournament with Kiwi Trent Boult. Starc took at least two wickets in every match; his 6-28 in the low-scoring thriller in Auckland was a highlight in a losing cause. Starc took 2-20 in the final when Australia met New Zealand again, and while few will remember his second wicket (Luke Ronchi, caught Michael Clarke), his first will be forever etched in World Cup folklore; clean-bowling Brendon McCullum off the third ball of the match. 

Since the 2015 World Cup, he's added two more World Cup titles to his name (2021 T20 and 2023 ODI), has the most World Cup wickets in history (combined ODI and T20), is approaching 400 Test wickets and has the best record in day-night Tests of any bowler, by some margin. And he's not done yet. 

Josh Hazlewood

After debuting as a 19-year-old in 2010, Hazlewood had only two ODIs and four T20Is to his name heading into the 2014-15 summer. What followed was an impressive maiden Test series against India and six one-dayers as Australia ramped up for the February-March World Cup, which included a five-wicket haul against South Africa in Perth. 

It's amazing to think that 24-year-old Hazlewood entered the tournament with only eight ODIs under his belt, yet would finish the World Cup as one of Australia's opening bowlers. His load was managed through the group stage but he returned to the XI for the quarter-final against Pakistan and delivered in a big way, taking a player-of-the-match-worthy 4-35 to cripple their middle order. He had no wickets in the final but ended with a typically miserly spell of 0-30 from eight overs. 

When his body has allowed, Hazlewood has always been one of Australia's first picked in ODIs. That wasn't the case in T20s, where he barely played the format at all between 2016 and 2020 before becoming a force in the shortest format. Hazlewood also has three World Cups to his name now, two ODI crowns and one T20. He is currently sitting on 279 Test wickets and while his body has started to become less reliable, the 300 milestone is definitely still on the agenda. 

George Bailey

Bailey burst onto the international scene in 2012 as a surprise debut skipper and quickly became established in the Australian white-ball middle order. His unbelievable ODI tour of India in 2013 – where he scored 85, 92no, 43, 98 and 156 – led to his Test debut at the start of the 2013-14 Ashes series. 

Bailey can consider himself unlucky for the World Cup itself as he played just one game in the tournament. In the absence of captain Michael Clarke for the opening game against England, Bailey led his country and scored 55 in a big win. Once Clarke was fit however, Bailey was squeezed out of the side and carried the drinks for the remainder of the Cup. 

The Tasmanian batter started 2016 with an ODI century against India but his international career would be over by the end of the year as Australian selectors looked beyond the 34-year-old as they built towards the 2019 World Cup. He would continue to churn out the runs for Tasmania and Hobart Hurricanes before finishing up in early 2020. 

Bailey is still heavily involved with the national team as the selection chair of the Australian men's side. 

Mitch Marsh

Son of a Test legend, Marsh made his ODI and T20I debuts a few days before he turned 20 in 2011 and would play irregularly over the next four years, compiling 14 ODIs heading into the World Cup. 

Marsh's 2015 World Cup started in dream fashion, with the allrounder taking 5-33 as he ran through England's top order in the opener at the MCG. Marsh played the first three matches, but when James Faulkner and Shane Watson were both available, the rookie was pushed out of the XI. 

Although his bowling was his 2015 highlight, it was Marsh's batting that was key in Australia's 2021 T20 World Cup and 2023 ODI World Cup wins as he held down the No.3 position in both. That included a player-of-the-match performance in the 2021 final, scoring an unbeaten 77. His highest ODI score, 177no, came against Bangladesh at the 2023 tournament. 

Pat Cummins

Like Marsh, Cummins' international debuts came on the South Africa tour of 2011 and the teenage tearaway was an instant success. His growing body would let him down over the next few years, as it battled back injuries and stress fractures. The Aussie selectors were keen to play him whenever fit however, hence his selection in the World Cup squad with only 10 ODIs to his name.

The 21-year-old got two matches at the 2015 World Cup – he took 2-38 in Australia's frenetic loss to New Zealand in Auckland and 3-42 against Scotland in Hobart. With the two Mitchells – Johnson and Starc – locks in the XI, the Aussies opted for the accuracy and control of Josh Hazlewood for the remainder of the tournament rather than Cummins' sheer pace. 

Cummins' international career went from strength to strength in the wake of the World Cup and he quickly became a regular in the ODI side following Mitchell Johnson's retirement. He got back into the Test team in 2017 and has barely been out of it since. He took the Test captaincy in 2021 and the ODI captaincy in 2023 – leading Australia to victory at the '23 ODI World Cup and also being a member of the 2021 T20 World Cup winning XI. 

Xavier Doherty

Left-arm spinner Doherty was Australia's No.1 one-day spinner between the 2011 and 2015 World Cups, playing 53 of Australia's 83 games in that period. Although his primary role was to tie up an end rather than take bulk wickets, he did snare a couple of four-wicket hauls, including a best of 4-28 in Sri Lanka in 2011. 

Doherty was given just the one match through the competition as Australia went pace-heavy and relied on Glenn Maxwell for their spin overs. That one match for Doherty was against Sri Lanka where he went wicketless from seven overs.

The 32-year-old Doherty wouldn't be selected for Australia again, with the Aussies preferring Nathan Lyon, Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa for their white-ball sides going forward.

Doherty finished the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach for Tasmania's Second XI team and his voice can occasionally be heard on ABC radio.