New Delhi, Feb 13 (IANS): The Australian and New Zealand High Commissions here celebrated the beginning of the 2015 World Cup by organising a cricket tournament involving children from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) Friday.

The tournament, organised by the two missions, comprised six teams of children drawn from the NGOs Magic Bus, Chintan and the Aga Khan Foundation.

The winning team was awarded the "Mini Cricket World Cup" by Australia's High Commissioner to India Patrick Suckling and New Zealand's High Commissioner to India Grahame Morton.

"Cricket is deep in the DNA of Australia, New Zealand and India, and our shared love for the game binds all three nations closely together," Suckling said on the occasion.

"We are proud and excited to be co-hosting the World Cup with New Zealand. In January alone we received more than 12,000 tourist visa applications from Indian fans who will travel to Australia to watch the action.

The cricket World Cup will help to cement the close bonds of friendship between our two countries," Suckling said.

"On the eve of the ICC World Cup 2015 we are delighted to have had the chance to share today some of the excitement that the tournament is bringing to New Zealand and Australia with the children of Delhi," New Zealand's High Commissioner Morton said.

The 2015 cricket World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, will begin Saturday with New Zealand taking on Sri Lanka in Christchurch and Australia playing against England in Melbourne.

Fourteen teams will compete at 14 different stadiums across both countries. India are the defending champions having won the ICC World Cup at home in 2011.