Australia vs West Indies, 2nd Semi-Final at Mohali, , Mar 14 1996 - Match Result

So that's the end of that, a stunning and frankly baffling contest comes to an end. I'm not sure West Indies will ever quite come to terms with how they lost that. And I cannot imagine that Australia will ever encounter a more tense finale to a World Cup semi-final. So much at stake, and the men in yellow held firm when in mattered.

They march on to Lahore, where the extraordinary Sri Lankans lie in wait for what promises to be another historic occasion. But that's one for another night. From myself, Andrew Miller, Sid Monga, and the rest of the #RetroLive team, thanks for joining us, and goodnight!

Cronje Fan: "What a thrilling semi-final this is! Difficult to imagine this being topped - given the stature of the teams, and the occasion. "

Lehar Jain: "I think the tie rule should be scrapped as it can be harsh on the losing team. Instead, they should bring something like 1 over eliminator to get the result in case of a tie."

***

And finally, the Man of the Match. A trophy will be presented by the Governor of the Punjab, and a cheque for £2000 from the director of Wills. And unsurprisingly, for his alchemic tendencies in the tight final throes of the contest, the award goes to Shane Warne.

"I don't think I was too calm out there, but I got a bit lucky, the ball went where I wanted it to go, and we pulled off a good victory. I got a couple of flippers on line for the first time this tournament, so I was pretty happy with them. It was a little bit slow, one would go through and the next would stop so that helps you. You just have to keep maintaining your line and length and keep hitting the wicket."

What were the discussions in your final over, asks Chappelli. "I dunno, I can't remember!" comes the enlightening response. No tricks of the trade being revealed on his watch …

***

Now then, he comes Mark Taylor, who might be a touch cheerier. He doesn't need a cheque to live his team's spirits.

"It was a great game, West Indies probably should have won it, they won 95% of the game, and we won the last 5%. It was very tense, semi-final of the World Cup and behind all day, but the guys hung in there to their credit, Warnie, and especially Glenn McGrath, who I think got it all started with his spell when he came back on after about 30 overs. That gave us a sniff and Warnie capped it all off with four wickets.

"I thought we fielded a lot better today, it always goes hand in hand when you bowl better. I thought we bowled a lot better today but we batted poorly, and we've got to hope we get it all right for the final."

***

Thanks Sid ... well cripes. What unbelievable drama that was.

Ian Chappell has the mic to conduct the presentations, and first up, he calls Richie Richardson to the podium to accept a runners-up cheque for £5000 - scant consolation - and to attempt to explain the extraordinary meltdown we've just witnessed. In fact, I'm not sure they can find the cheque in the melee, which seems oddly apt.

"Richie, I guess there's only one question, mate," asks Chappelli. "How. How did you lose it from there?"

"Well, it's unbelievable really. We had them 15 for 4, we relaxed a little bit, they got a very good total but I'm just really disappointed. We should have really won this match. Even though they got away and got 208 but we should have got those runs.

A bit of panic? "Yeah probably so, I was telling the guys, hit it straight, and if it's off-line you go with the swing, but it's not easy, really, in those situations, and the Australians bowled really well."

Aha, they've found the cheque at last. Though they will probably lose it again, just as they managed to lose this game twice.

***

All the Australian squad is on the field. There is no end to their joy. Richardson cuts a lonely distraught figure as he walks off into the night. West Indies had this game won three times over, but it was just one of those nights where they didn't believe they could win. The last eight wickets have gone for 37 runs. They kept sending big hitters in when they needed four an over. Australia saw that as a sign West Indies were not looking to work hard for this win. They made them work hard, and it has come off for them. Richardson himself dug the team the biggest hole by swinging for the fences; and as he kept missing, the dots kept piling and the belief kept evaporating. Try wiping those smiles off the Aussies' faces. To make sense of all this and to bring you what the captains have to say, I hand over to Andrew Miller

Last man Courtney Walsh in. Richie Richardson could end up losing this match from here on without having a say. Walsh needs to get him a single somehow. Australia will crowd Walsh. If Walsh gets a single off the next two balls somehow, it is down to Richardson to hit a boundary. Can he? Can he? Or can he get an outside edge for four? Walsh will be the next captain the result tonight notwithstanding. Can he give Richardson a lease of one more night as captain? More importantly, can he give West Indies a shot at winning the World Cup?

They knock their gloves, do Richardson and Ambrose. All of a sudden it is a run a ball to qualify. One more boundary, and it is all over. What is Fleming thinking now? He has to get that yorker going. Taylor, from extra cover, has a chat with him. Now Taylor goes back to his mark. Fleming is ready. That margin of error seems minuscule now

West Indies need 10 to win this off the last over. They need only nine to qualify for the final. The problem is, Richardson has to do it all by himself. Ambrose and Walsh are not going to be too much of a help other than perhaps taking the odd single. They have lost their last six wickets for 32 runs. What a cruise this was. What a climb this is. Australia have them where they want them. Fleming will look to get Richardson off strike here, and then look to take wickets or get dots in

What does Richardson do now? Does he look for a single and take on 10 (effectively 9) off the last over? Does he go for a boundary here because they might want to deny him the single?

Taylor, Steve Waugh and Warne have a chat, No easy boundary on offer. They seem to trust Fleming in the last over

"I think the tie rule should be scrapped as it can be harsh on the losing team. Instead, they should bring something like 1 over eliminator to get the result in case of a tie." Lehar Jain, don't tell me you will count the number of boundaries if the eliminator also ends up with teams tied

Oh the tall Curtly Ambrose comes in. He needs to hang in for the sake of his captain, for the sake of all the hard work he himself did with the ball earlier in the day

Now it is just 14 off two overs. Or 13 to tie and progress to the final. West Indies will take 13. They need to bat sensibly here. What can Warne draw from them here, though? What an over coming up. He needs to either take wickets or not concede more than three here. He has Bishop on strike

At least that brings Richardson on strike

And is that the end of an utter horror story of a World Cup for Arthurton? Five innings, three ducks, two runs. In comes Ian Bishop. West Indies will do well to know they don't need all of 21. Even a tie will do for them because they won the league match against Australia

Australia have to go to Fleming now. McGrath has done his job, but does the youngster have the calmness now to push on? West Indies need 25 off three overs. How did it get to this point? Is this it for Richardson? Not if he has a thing or two to say about it

The field relaxes. Australia are happy to give Arthurton the single

Keith Arthurton in his white hat comes out to bat. Is there someone in this long West Indies batting line-up who can keep their head?