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You can call it deja vu.

Amidst mass confusion caused by yet another premature crowd-invasion at Bourda, the fifth and crucial Cable & Wireless One-Day International between West Indies and Australia was declared a tie here yesterday.

Needing four runs off the final ball, Australian captain Steve Waugh and Shane Warne desperately scampered two runs and were on the way for a third when the stumps at both ends of the pitch were grabbed by spectators.

The general feeling was that two runs were scored and West Indies had won by one run to take a 3-2 series advantage ahead of the final two matches in Barbados.

After a half-hour long meeting that involved the captains of both sides and International Cricket Council match referee Raman Subba Row, it was decided that the match was a tie, the same result when there was crowd trouble in the 1993 match between West Indies and Pakistan.

Scoreless

A superb last over from Keith Arthurton kept the West Indies in the match after Steve Waugh and Shane Warne had clobbered 27 runs in the preceding two overs.

Bowling fast, flat left-arm spin, Arthurton kept Waugh scoreless for four successive balls after the Australia captain had taken two runs from the first ball.

Arthurton, his bowling much more distinguished than his batting these days, forced Waugh to hit two deliveries back to him, another was hit into the batsman's body and another was missed as Waugh attempted to cut.

Waugh, playing his first major innings of the series, finished on a gallant unbeaten 71 off 65 balls, including five fours and three sixes, and resurrected the Australian effort with Warne after the West Indies had restricted the vistitors.

When Warne joined Waugh, Australia were 119 for seven after 23 overs in pursuit of a target of 173 from the 30 overs, the match having been reduced after heavy early morning rain delayed the start by nearly three hours.

Clouted

With 33 runs needed from the final three overs, Carl Hooper was belted for 16 and Courtney Walsh was clouted over long-on for six by Warne in the penultimate over that cost 11.

West Indies' early success was set up by a double-strike from Mervyn Dillon in the sixth over.

And when Adam Gilchrist was playing confidently for 44 off 43 balls, Hendy Bryan's direct throw from the deep mid-wicket boundary led to a slump in which Phil Simmons claimed the key scalp of Michael Bevan and that of Shane Lee in the space of three balls.

The mopping-up operations completed after more than three hours, the West Indies were given an ideal start from Sherwin Campbell and Ridley Jacobs after Steve Waugh maintained his 100 per cent winning record of the toss.

Once they adjusted to the slowish nature of the pitch, they lashed 84 runs inside the first 15 overs.

The consistent Campbell passed 40 for the fourth time in the series, his run-a-ball 41 including four boundaries, the best of which was a lofted drive over extra-cover.

There was even a more memorable shot when Jacobs helped Damien Fleming for six over the Lance Gibbs Stand and onto North Road where a little boy was spotted sprinting away with the ball.

On the evidence of their start, the West Indies appeared headed for a total of more than 200, but the dismissals of Campbell and Jacobs three balls apart, Shane Warne's capture of Jimmy Adams and Carl Hooper in the space of four balls, and Phil Simmons' late entry thwarted their bid.

Shane Lee, an outstanding fielder all series, removed Campbell and Jacobs, the former falling to a stupendous diving catch by the bowler himself and the latter turning a slower ball to mid-wicket.

Adams, leading the West Indies for the first time in the absence of an injured Brian Lara, and Hooper, came in and left at virtually the same time, both undone by the vicious turn of Shane Warne's leg-breaks.

Hooper stepped on to the ground to a mammoth ovation, but there was stunned silence when he danced down the pitch, missed a defensive prod and was easily stumped, while the left-handed Adams was bowled between bat and pad.

West Indies were now 101 for four in the 18th over and it was mystifying that Stuart Williams, advertised to come in at No. 8, was moved up two notches and sent ahead of the in-form Simmons.

Williams was partnered by Shivnarine Chanderpaul, another struggler in this series, and it took them some time before they could find their touch in a fifth-wicket partnership of 52.

Neither was able to play Warne with any authority until Williams lifted him over mid-wicket for six in the 26th over. By then, 10 overs had gone by in which only 36 runs were scored.

The partnership was broken when Chanderpaul holed out to long-on, and Simmons arrived with 11 balls remaining.

He immediately despatched Lee over extra-cover for six and charged down the pitch to pull him for yet another. But the real drama was to follow.