[1] The match was Sri Lanka's second World Cup final appearance and Australia's sixth, their fourth in a row.

Adam Gilchrist's score of 149 – the highest in a World Cup final – helped give Australia an imposing total of 281.

[2] Sri Lankan batsmen Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya added 116 for the second wicket, before falling with the score at 123 and 145 respectively.

At the culmination of the 33rd over, with Sri Lanka still trailing the adjusted Duckworth-Lewis target by 37 runs, the umpires suspended the game due to bad light.

The last three overs were played in almost complete darkness, during which Sri Lanka added nine runs, giving Australia a 53-run victory via the Duckworth–Lewis method.