Cricket World Cup: Black Caps fan's 55-hour 34,000km round trip for MCG final (and he's only taking one day off work)

Peter Thompson will have 18.5 hours in Australia - he's hoping the Black Caps make it great holiday for him. Photo / Supplied

It started with a couple of glasses of Kiwi sav blanc and an online a chat with a mate half-a-world away. Now London-based Kiwi Peter Thompson's bold pledge to attend the cricket world cup final if New Zealand made it is about to become a reality.

In what must be one of the shortest trans-global holidays ever taken, the 41-year-old will leave his home in Westminster at 7pm on Friday, London time. He'll jump in black cab for the quick trip to Paddington Station, where he'll take an express train to Heathrow Airport.

At 10pm his Singapore Airlines flight will lift off and, allowing for a two-hour stopover in Singapore, he'll pitch up in Melbourne at 7.35am local time - enough time for a bite to eat and a game of backyard cricket at Aussie mate Tom's house before heading to the nearby MCG.

At the completion of the match - which will hopefully end with a glorious Black Caps victory - he'll take a cab back to airport in time for his 1am flight back to England. All up he'll spend around 55 hours travelling door to door, including check-in times and stop-overs, covering nearly 34,000km at a cost of around $9393, for an 18.5-hour Aussie holiday.

The positive vibe around the Black Caps heading the tournament led to his pledge, Mr Thompson said.

Peter's marathon trip (app users tap here)

"I got on WhatsApp with my Aussie mate Tom who lives in Melbourne and made a pact with him saying if it is an Aus-NZ final and you can get tickets, count me in."

Although Australia's presence in the final has yet to be confirmed, Mr Thompson decided he wasn't going to miss the match, regardless of who the Black Caps play.

"After the semi-final and the emotion of the way that happened there was no way I was going to miss out on the opportunity to go."

Mr Thompson was at his job with an English pensions company during the final stages of the semi-final win over South Africa so "watched" the result unfold through ball-by-ball online scoring on his computer.

"When that final comment came up and said SIX! in bold I just leaped out of my chair and ran into a meeting room and was jumping up and down. I was in there for about 30 seconds then I composed myself and went back to work."

His biggest fear, he says, is falling asleep at the match.

"If I fall asleep for 10 minutes or so when Brendon McCullum is batting, he will have scored 70 and got out. So I'll definitely make sure I am awake when he comes to the crease."