Atherton's monumental dig for victory; THIRD TEST: England achieve series success despite mid-innings wobble and the talents of New Zealand's teenage spinner

Crawley and Cork display maturity New Zealand 346 & 186 England 228 & for 307-6 England win by four wickets

History confronted them and history was forced to take a bow after Michael Atherton's team became the second England side, and only the 13th ever, to win a Test by scoring more than 300 in the last innings of the match. Although the victory spoke of a team effort, it was the monumental endeavour by the England captain, who added a century to his unbeaten 94 in the first innings, which engineered the win and with it the series.

It was his 11th Test hundred, and as he has been saddled with the reputation of something of a match-saver, probably his most satisfying. He was asked, soon after his epic to draw the Johannesburg Test, if he thought he would ever better the pathos and splendour of that incredible innings. "I hope so," he said. "I'd like to play a winning knock for England."

Incredibly it is only the second time England have won when he has scored a hundred, the other also coming against New Zealand, at Trent Bridge in 1994.

The century apart, it was the mind-boggling feat that he had spent almost 27 hours and 408 overs on the field of play before he was finally persuaded to leave. Inevitably it was fatigue, rather than any great sorcery on the part of the bowler, that finally led to his downfall as he edged wearily to the wicket-keeper.

"I admired the way he went about his job," Steve Rixon New Zealand's Australian coach, said. "He was probably the difference." However, when asked whether Atherton should be given the England captaincy for the Ashes, Rixon smirked and said: "I'd give him anything he wants tonight. He deserves it."

He is right, and rarely has an England captain's contribution towards victory been so momentous. In fact, only Graham Gooch's monolithic century against the West Indies at Headingley in 1991, stands higher in the post- war pantheon of great captain's innings. But if quality of life is the book in Atherton's hand - currently Fly Fishing in the West Country by Ann Voss-Bark - then this surely must come pretty close?

"I'm very pleased," he said when later asked what it was like to experience a series win abroad, the first since the equivalent tour here five years ago. "I thought it was a strong performance today. I've been pleased with the way we've played throughout this series. To win 2-0 is fairly convincing and considering we came very close to winning in Auckland, it was probably deserved."

England have certainly been resilient and in two of the three Tests (here and in Auckland) they have reversed unpromising situations brought about by their lack of consistency with bat and ball.

When the final day's play began, they needed 187 runs to win and although, with eight wickets standing, Ladbrokes had made them 4-7 favourites, it was still a daunting task considering that about half the day's overs were likely to be bowled by Daniel Vettori into the rough outside leg stump.

Rough or not, the 18-year old spinner has been a revelation and if he tired towards the end of his 57 overs, his duels with Atherton - the Cambridge swot versus the bespectacled teenager who looks like one - were enthralling.

It is what Test cricket is all about, and why, no matter how much razzmatazz is added, one-day cricket can never come close to catching cricket's real essence: namely the ebb and flow of protracted personal battles.

England began with the plan of gaining early momentum, by using the nightwatchman, Andrew Caddick, to play some shots. It only half-worked with Caddick scoring 15. Yet how different the day might have turned out, had New Zealand been given his wicket 28 runs earlier, before he had scored.

Pushing forward to the first ball of Vettori's second over of the day, Caddick somehow managed to jam the ball between bat and pad. Sensing an opportunity, Fleming, at silly point, began to move in only to see the ball suddenly drop down. He dived in and caught the ball as it bounced off Caddick's toe.

Technically Caddick was out, but with umpire Daryll Hair unsighted, few expected the batsman to be given out. However, according to Fleming, Hair told him the ball was dead as it had lodged fast: a rule only meant to apply when the ball gets stuck in clothing or the top of the pad.

If New Zealand cursed their poor luck on that occasion, the balance tilted their way when England lost three wickets in 16 balls, two of them to the persevering Vettori.

The first to depart was the marathon man himself, who after the ultimate exhibition in Test match application, fell to a crude one-day shot, as he tried to run Astle's gentle medium-pace to third man. It was the wicket New Zealand had wanted and it lifted their spirits.

Excitement soon turned to delirium when Hussain, having shared an 80- run partnership with his captain, followed four balls later, as Vettori got one to kick out of the rough, via both knee and glove, before nestling in Fleming's hands at silly point.

When Graham Thorpe was out soon after, chipping a return catch to give Vettori his fourth wicket of the innings, England were 231 for 6, needing 74 to win, and looking like going belly up. That they did not was largely due to the two measured innings played by John Crawley and Dominic Cork, who finished on 40 and 39 respectively.

Over his short career, Cork has been something of a hot-headed disappointment with the bat, but with Crawley to nag him, he played one of his most mature Test innings to date. He counteracted Vettori better than anyone, and after Atherton's precise skirmishes with the bowler, that is high praise indeed. No praise is high enough for Vettori, however, whose 4 for 97 was something special to behold.

In the Test match here five years ago, it was Vettori's hero, Phil Tufnell, who managed to bowl England to victory in quite amazing circumstances. This time it was so nearly Vettori. Let us hope for New Zealand cricket's sake, that is where the coincidences end.