20/03Result
1st Semi-Final, Benson & Hedges World Cup at Auckland, Mar 21 1992
Pakistan won by 4 wkts (6b rem)
Player of the Match
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-HaqPakistan
20/03Result
1st Semi-Final, Benson & Hedges World Cup at Auckland, Mar 21 1992
Pakistan won by 4 wkts (6b rem)
Player of the Match
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-HaqPakistan

END OF OVER:
49 | 13 Runs | PAK: 264/6 | RR: 5.38

  • Moin Khan20 (11b)
  • Javed Miandad57 (69b)
  • Chris Harris10-0-72-1
  • Danny Morrison9-0-55-0

Javed is wild with ecstasy as he cavorts to the boundary's edge to be embraced by a sea of lime green! He's played the old pro's hand to perfection, anchoring the chase through lean times in the early stages and bountiful times during Inzamam's onslaught, but it's Moin who claims the final-over plaudits, his violent dispatching of Chris Harris's allsorts setting up a date with destiny at the MCG in four days' time!

The entire squad is out on the field now, and a fair few fans too, their flags flying high, escorting their heroes back to the pavilion. New Zealand's players knew their race was run the moment that six sailed into the stands. And now all they can do is console one another and soak up the occasion, bittersweet though it now is.

Sure enough, New Zealand's crestfallen players head off on a lap of honour, and receive a mighty ovation from a sympathetic home crowd. They've been the tournament front-runners since the opening day against Australia, but twice in the space of four days, they've had no answer to a resurgent, rampant Pakistan, who will now march onto Wednesday's final with so much confidence. Who will they be facing - England or South Africa? All will be revealed in Sydney tomorrow.

And a penny for Martin Crowe's thoughts right now? He took the gamble, opting to sit out the fielding stint in a bid to stay fit for the final, hoping that a target of 262 would prove beyond Pakistan's reach. But without their chief strategist pulling the strings, New Zealand were ripe for the plucking in those fateful final overs.

Crowe's been simply magnificent throughout this World Cup, leading from the front with 456 runs as well as seven wins on the bounce until Pakistan unseated them twice in a week. But it's not to be. Instead, Imran Khan's cornered tigers march onto the World Cup final. From all of us here, Karthik, Miller, Diamond and the rest of the #RetroLive team, thanks and goodnight!

48.6
4
Harris to Moin Khan, FOUR, A swipe across the line from outside off, cuffed rather than timed, weight falling backwards as he climbs through the stroke, but he's picked out the gap at backward square, and no-one's going to cut that off! A despairing slide, but the ball thumps into the boundary board. Moin and Javed fling their arms in the air, and hurtle off the field in utter triumph!

Just three to get now, and all the pressure is off Moin now. He's played a brilliant little cameo here.

48.5
6
Harris to Moin Khan, SIX, What. A. Shot. Loopy legcutter outside off from Harris, and Moin stretches out so far that his back knee is on the ground, and launches a flat-batted hit way into the crowd beyond the long-off boundary. This isn't a lofted drive; it's a sweep over long-off. What a time to hit your first six in ODIs. The old fox Miandad is delighted, and he runs down the pitch to embrace Moin
48.4
1
Harris to Javed Miandad, 1 run, down the track, Harris floats it wide again, and Miandad thumps a flat-bat drive down to long-off. Went to the right of the fielder, but quite quickly, so they'll only get one for this. Nine off eight now.

10 to win off 9 now...

48.3
1
Harris to Moin Khan, 1 run, slower ball, fullish and wide of off stump, and Moin stretches out to sweep it firmly to deep square leg
48.2
0
Harris to Moin Khan, no run, legcutter in the corridor outside off, and Moin, getting on the front foot and looking to run it down to third man, is beaten on the outside edge

11 from 11 now.

48.1
1
Harris to Javed Miandad, 1 run, down the track now, Harris bowls a full one outside off, and Miandad aims a big drive at it. Thick edge, goes quickly to Watson at short third man

END OF OVER:
48 | 7 Runs | PAK: 251/6 (12 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 5.22, RRR: 6.00)

  • Moin Khan9 (7b)
  • Javed Miandad55 (67b)
  • Danny Morrison9-0-55-0
  • Willie Watson10-2-39-2

Twelve to win, twelve balls remaining. Wright is moving his fielders this way and that. New Zealand have done well to cling on to a slim chance of victory. A good over here could put the pressure right back on Pakistan, but an early boundary here - even off an edge - and it's game over. Chris Harris has been an absolute monster on the field today, and perhaps unlucky with a couple of run-out decisions going Pakistan's way. Can he win it for New Zealand with the ball? He's the leading wicket-taker in the tournament at the moment. Can he add to his haul of 16?

47.6
0
Morrison to Moin Khan, no run, yorker close to off stump, jabbed towards point

Kamran: "Not a great deal of batting to come after this pair. They have to finish the game else it could be out of reach for Pakistan. Mind you though that at the domestic level, Mushi is used to considering himself a better batsman than Inzi. "

47.5
2
Morrison to Moin Khan, 2 runs, fullish, angling into off stump, gets onto the front foot and steers expertly down to third man with a lovely twirl of the wrists. They take on Patel's arm, and he rightly goes for the bowler's end, towards which Miandad is running, but they make it comfortably

Tuffey: "O dear O dear ... Moin can you please take some risks -- your team needs something over long-off"

47.4
2
Morrison to Moin Khan, 2 runs, full on off stump, whipped to the right of long-on
47.3
0
Morrison to Moin Khan, no run, all the single-saving fielders close in on Moin as Morrison runs up. They're less than 20 yards from the bat when he delivers a yorker that he clips to one of those fielders, that man Harris again, moving swiftly to his right at midwicket. New Zealand moved their best fielder there, all the way from deep point, for precisely this ball, expecting the batsman to play it in that direction. He flicks a direct hit at Moin's end for good measure. He appeals, but Moin's back in his crease - or so says the square-leg umpire. Replays suggest he was an inch or so out of his crease when the throw crashed into the stumps. What would the state of this match have been had video umpires existed?
47.2
1
Morrison to Javed Miandad, 1 run, full, not too much width, driven towards Harris at deep point
47.1
2
Morrison to Javed Miandad, 2 runs, full-toss close to off stump, chopped away towards third man, where the fielder fumbles and allows Miandad to turn back for a second run

END OF OVER:
47 | 8 Runs 1 Wkt | PAK: 244/6 (19 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 5.19, RRR: 6.33)

  • Moin Khan5 (3b)
  • Javed Miandad52 (65b)
  • Willie Watson10-2-39-2
  • Danny Morrison8-0-48-0
46.6
4
Watson to Moin Khan, FOUR, full-toss on leg stump, and Moin is quickly down on one knee to sweep it away to the left of short fine leg. That was an utter gift from Watson, and Moin has ripped the wrapping open most indecorously. It's down to 18 off 18 now, and unless Danny Morrison does something dramatic in this over, this game is done and dusted

23 from 19 now... Similar leg-side field for Moin.

46.5
1
Watson to Javed Miandad, 1 run, full on off stump, driven to long-on

Deep backward square leg, deep midwicket and long-on are back on the leg side for Miandad, and long-off and deep point on the off.

46.4
1
Watson to Moin Khan, 1 run, similar delivery, good length tight on off stump, but this one's slightly shorter, and Moin has a little more time to let it come on and open his bat face and dab it into the gap to the left of that fielder at short backward point
46.3
0
Watson to Moin Khan, no run, slower length ball close to off stump, and Moin stretches out to defend into the off side, straight towards a man only 15 yards or so (10 meters by Bill Lawry's estimation) from the bat at short backward point. New Zealand are going all out to ramp up the pressure on Moin

In walks Moin Khan with Pakistan needing 25 from 22 balls. Can he help Miandad finish this game off? He's only batted 14 times in his ODI career so far, and averages 13.55 with a best of 23. Nine fours and no sixes in those 14 innings. Hmmm...

46.2
W
Watson to Wasim Akram, OUT, down the track, and Watson has snuck through, crashed into leg stump, and opened that window of hope once more for New Zealand. Akram has more or less yorked himself here, and he ends up playing across it and all around it

Wasim Akram b Watson 9 (12m 8b 1x4 0x6) SR: 112.50

46.1
2
Watson to Wasim Akram, 2 runs, full and into Akram's feet from round the wicket. Watson is prepared for Akram's premeditated movement away from the stumps too. Jams his bat down on it and squeezes it into the gap to the left of point. There's a sweeper on the boundary, but the ball takes its time getting to him, and Akram powers through a lightning second run, running right down the middle of the pitch. New Zealand might appreciate the scuffing-up of the pitch if this were the fourth innings of a Test match

END OF OVER:
46 | 8 Runs | PAK: 236/5 (27 runs required from 24 balls, RR: 5.13, RRR: 6.75)

  • Javed Miandad51 (64b)
  • Wasim Akram7 (6b)
  • Danny Morrison8-0-48-0
  • Willie Watson9-2-31-1

Pakistan need 27 now, from 24 balls. The only way New Zealand can win this is if they get at least a couple of quick wickets right now. Can Willie Watson produce a couple of magic balls, or even wicket-taking long-hops?

45.6
0
Morrison to Javed Miandad, no run, slower ball, angling into off stump, gets forward to clip to midwicket
45.5
1
Morrison to Wasim Akram, 1 run,

Taha: "Imran's decision to promote himself up the order may look brave, but it has set this chase back. If by some miracle Pakistan qualify for the final, he should NEVER think of going back in at 3!"

45.5
1w
Morrison to Wasim Akram, 1 wide, oh no. Now Morrison anticipates the same sort of movement from the batsman, away from his stumps, but Akram stays put. He bowls what he thinks will be a yorker at the batsman's feet, but it ends up as a wide down the leg side

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