New Zealand vs Pakistan, 1st Semi-Final at Auckland, , Mar 21 1992 - Ball by Ball Commentary

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!

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

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.

slower ball, fullish and wide of off stump, and Moin stretches out to sweep it firmly to deep square leg

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

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

yorker close to off stump, jabbed towards point

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

full on off stump, whipped to the right of long-on

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?

full, not too much width, driven towards Harris at deep point

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

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

full on off stump, driven to long-on

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

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

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

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

slower ball, angling into off stump, gets forward to clip to midwicket