Cricket World Cup 2015 Opening Ceremony: Highlights and Twitter Reaction

The 2015 Cricket World Cup is being Held in Australia and New Zealand, meaning Thursday's opening ceremony saw Christchurch and Melbourne go head-to-head in an attempt to out-do each other.

The result was a colourful mix of Maori warriors and pop artists alternating in quick succession, keeping the thousands of fans on hand entertained throughout the day before massive fireworks officially announced this year's World Cup.   

Daryl Braithwaite stole the show on social media, but as shared by SportsGeek's Sean Callanan, event organisers didn't spare any expense:

Unsurprisingly, New Zealand chose to honour their rich heritage in an elaborate show which heavily featured Maori warriors, while plenty of attention was also given to the resurgence of the city of Christchurch in the wake of the 2011 earthquake:

Cricket legends from the past were joined by 80 children and bands from every participating nation, before a host of speakers addressed the crowd.

Sir Richard Hadley, one of the greatest fast-bowlers the sport has ever seen, undoubtedly received the warmest reception, as shared by Cricket NDTV:

Team captains were also interviewed, including the ever-popular MS Dhoni of India, per BCCI:

Somehow, event organisers managed to put together steel drums, sitars, didgeridoos and bagpipes and end up with a coherent theme song for this year's World Cup, a feat this writer personally rates as the highlight of the entire ceremony.

The hosts also performed the haka to welcome their guests, as this fan correctly predicted:

The show culminated with a host of famous Kiwis making an appearance, joining several children playing cricket on the stage. Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson perhaps wasn't expected to play a part in a show like this, but TV personality Crystal Arnold was surely glad to see him:

After several more artists made an appearance, the show switched over to Melbourne for even more music and dance, beginning with a traditional band from Bangladesh.

ICC Board member Wally Edwards was one of many to talk before a giant puppet in the shape of a batsmen was revealed, playing a hook shot to set off the fireworks, via dna:

More artists, including Braithwaite, graced the stage to bring the opening ceremony to a close.

Christchurch will host the first match of this year's World Cup on Saturday, as hosts New Zealand face Sri Lanka at 11 a.m. local time.