Australia and New Zealand reap $843 million World Cup dividend

Australia's Steven Smith (R) scores the winning runs to defeat New Zealand as team mate Shane Watson celebrates in their Cricket World Cup final match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) March 29, 2015. New Zealand bowler Matt Henry (2nd R) reacts on the pitch. REUTERS/Brandon Malone - RTR4VC9V

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The economies of Australia and New Zealand benefited from A$1.1 billion ($843.59 million) in direct spending as a result of co-hosting the cricket World Cup earlier this year, according to a report released on Tuesday.

The report, prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers, said the tournament created the equivalent of 8,320 full time jobs across the two economies and attracted 145,000 unique visitors to the host countries, mostly from Asia.