Spithill sticks it to NZ again, this time on cricket

Australian yachtsman and sporting villain Jimmy Spithill has foretold more heartbreak for NZ sport fans.

The man responsible for one of New Zealand's most painful sporting defeats is tipping more transtasman misery tomorrow night.

Champion skipper Jimmy Spithill - who engineered one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history at the helm of Oracle USA to defeat Team New Zealand in the 2013 America's Cup - is in no doubt Australia will bank its fifth World Cup cricket title at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, leaving Kiwis once again to rue what might have been.

"This may come across as a complete shock but, yes, I will be backing Australia," Spithill said from his home in Sydney, where he has been recovering from surgery to repair torn elbow ligaments.

Australia's comprehensive semifinal win over India in Sydney showed they were a team peaking at just the right time.

"If they have that sort of focus and attitude then I have no doubt in my mind they will win," he said.

Spithill suffered the elbow injury before the America's Cup finals but kept it a secret.

"About five weeks out from the Cup I tore tendons in my elbow. I kept it pretty quiet and used cortisone injections to get through it."

The chirpy Aussie yachtie has strong ties to New Zealand and he was thrilled both host nations made the final.

"It's hard not to be completely wrapped up in the whole thing," he said. "It is kind of cool, too, that here we are going head-to-head in an ultimate battle and both sides want nothing more than to win, but pretty soon after we will be commemorating Anzac Day together. It's a really cool thing."

While his countrymen would be their usual confident selves heading into the match, there was no chance they would take the Black Caps lightly.

"No way. They will have full respect for them. They have got some awesome athletes in that [New Zealand] team. There has been some awesome cricket from everyone but New Zealand has been the form team up until now. Hopefully that will change, obviously."

Another famous Aussie battler is feeling even more generous towards us.

Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly, whose classic odes to the game include Bradman and Leaps and Bounds, which references the MCG, told the Weekend Herald: "Actually, I wouldn't be unhappy if you guys won."