England lift their eyes to the high ground

South Africa 107 England 111-3 England win by seven wickets

The new dawn emerged gloriously into the summer sunshine yesterday. It left observers bright-eyed in disbelief, and if it continues to develop like this, anything is possible for England.

For now, the capture of the NatWest Series will do jolly nicely, and if the result was important for Michael Vaughan's embryonic captaincy, its ruthless style was something else entirely. England bowled out the tourists for 107 - the lowest total in 34 one-day internationals at Lord's - and then knocked off the required runs in 20.2 overs for the loss of three wickets.

It was as unexpected as it was clinical. At one point it was briefly reminiscent of the way the mighty Australians overhauled a miserable England score of 117 in 12.5 overs last winter. It bodes well for the Test series to come. There will be a change of personnel in both teams - in England's case, the captaincy will also be handed over - but the momentum is definitely only with one of them.

The commanding nature of England's triumph was slightly tarnished by some careless batting late in the piece - Vikram Solanki cut himself off in his pomp after a rampaging fifty - but then fortunately poor batting was the only cloud in sight during the entire proceedings. Perhaps it was also a stark reminder that this team are as yet far from the finished article, but fortunately they are also quite a distance from the 2007 World Cup.

Whether they deserve the third place in the one-day international table that victory yesterday bestowed on them is doubtful. Australia are obviously top, South Africa stay second, but recent memory suggests that India and New Zealand are pretty good.

But it is the first time since 2000 that England have won their own one-day series. Actually, with the addition of the series against Pakistan, they have now won two series this summer. Vaughan's stewardship could hardly have had a more solid start. Of the 10 matches under him, England have won six and lost three. They have, to boot, beaten South Africa three times in three weeks, a feat they had managed only seven times in 23 starts previously.

The man of the series was named as Andrew Flintoff, who was batting as the final was won. This one-day interregnum in the summer has been the making of him as an international cricketer. He has shown he is capable of something approaching greatness. The crowd cheered him when he walked to the wicket, and during England's parade round the perimeter after the match he was summoned for photographs by spectators. Cricket lives!

The man of this particular match was Darren Gough. Had you mentioned the feasibility of this happening six months ago, anybody with a wolf cub's first-aid badge would have laughed in your face. But Gough has shown true grit, and his controlled spell yesterday on a flat deck was a splendid example of the one-day fast-bowling art.

There were understandably doubters when he was recalled five weeks ago. It was said that his dodgy knee had been cured by rest and a new fitness regime, but that had been said before. Without him, England would not have won this series.

While Gough constantly irked the batsmen and was rewarded with the prize wickets of Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis, his young partner, James Anderson, was somewhat more erratic. But Gough's rigorous line also gave Anderson a licence to experiment. As usual, he came up with wickets.

The portents had not seemed quite so magnificent when, from the first legitimate ball of the day after a wide, Solanki shelled the low catch at point which was offered by Graeme Smith. There might not be, you thought, many more where that came from, and Smith promptly clipped one off his legs for four.

But South Africa's captain is a liability outside off, and in Anderson's next over he nicked him flat-footedly to first slip. The tourists never recovered and England did not allow them into the game. Gibbs drove loosely and impatiently, succeeding only in edging behind.

Next to go was Morne van Wyk, bowled trying something too extravagant. The mystery was why Van Wyk was playing. This was his international debut. Certainly, at 24, he had to start some time, but there might have been easier places than in a final before 29,500 at Lord's.

It was up to Kallis to take South Africa to respectability now but Gough was too smart. Kallis, too, nicked one holding its own and Chris Read took off low and wide to his right to hold the catch. It was a good effort by Read and fell into that odd wicketkeeping category: he deserved praise for a good catch, but had he dropped it observers might have said he should have caught it.

Still, South Africa were not quite done, for these days they are a tale of two Jacques. There was still Rudolph of that ilk, and he shared in the highest stand of the innings (a wretched 32). But he, too, edged one behind.

The clatter of wickets might have yielded the conclusion that the pitch was at fault. It was not. Indeed, there was some surprise that Vaughan had decided to field after winning the toss. The sky was clear, the atmosphere would not help swing. It was a day, was it not, for posting a total and letting the opposition get sweaty. Vaughan knew better.

The last four wickets fell for five runs. Read finished with five catches. Ashley Giles - it is tempting to say even Ashley Giles - took two wickets. He had gone six wicketless matches but with his fifth ball, bowling round rather than over the wicket, he had struck. He looks more at home round the wicket.

The innings had lasted 32.1 overs and South Africa were left with a heap of problems. Whither Rhodes and Donald? Whither, more ominously, Klusener? He was left out, Smith said in an unguarded moment, because he was a disruptive presence, but South Africa were winning matches then. The critics were sharpening their tongues and pencils last night.

England lost Trescothick early to his usual dismissal, caught in the slips. But Solanki and Vaughan soon began playing strokes all round the ground and romping merrily to victory when Vaughan turned a ball to mid-wicket that was not quite there for it. Solanki, who took 54 balls over his fifty and was quite captivatingly outrageous, played round one. It did not matter on this occasion.

England have done all in the past month that could reasonably have been expected of them. Vaughan has proved an inspired choice as captain and the newcomers have not been exposed. These are bright, sunny days and they should be used as an investment against any dark, stormy nights that may follow.

Lord's Scoreboard

England won toss

South Africa
G C Smith c Trescothick b Anderson 7
H H Gibbs c Read b Gough 9
M N van Wyk b Anderson 17
J H Kallis c Read b Gough 0
J A Rudolph c Read b Flintoff 19
M V Boucher c Read b Johnson 11
M van Jaarsveld c and b Giles 11
S M Pollock c Read b Flintoff 18
A J Hall c Vaughan b Anderson 0
A Nel lbw b Giles 1
M Ntini not out 0
Extras (lb1, w10, nb3) 14
Total (150 min, 32.1 overs) 107

Fall: 1-10 (Smith), 2-30 (Gibbs), 3-39 (Van Wyk), 4-43 (Kallis), 5-75 (Rudolph), 6-75 (Boucher), 7-102 (Van Jaarsveld), 8-103 (Hall), 9-107 (Nel), 10-107 (Pollock).

Bowling: Anderson 10-0-50-3 (w5) (7-0-42-2, 3-0-8-1), Gough 7-2-9-2 (nb3) (one spell), Flintoff 6.1-0-18-2 (w1) (6-0-18-1, 0.1-0-0-1), Johnson 6-1-26-1 (w2), Giles 3-2-3-2 (w2) (one spell each).

Progress: 50 in 82 min, 79 balls. 15 overs score: 56-4. 100 in 126 min, 168 balls.

England
M E Trescothick c Hall b Ntini 0
V S Solanki b Hall 50
M P Vaughan c Ntini b Nel 30
A McGrath not out 15
A Flintoff not out 6
Extras (lb1, w7, nb2) 10
Total (for 3, 20.2 overs) 111

Fall: 1-1 (Trescothick), 2-88 (Vaughan), 3-89 (Solanki).

Did not bat: R Clarke, C M W Read, A F Giles, R L Johnson, D Gough, J M Anderson.

Bowling: Pollock 5-1-17-0 (nb1), Ntini 5-1-24-1 (w2), Kallis 3-0-33-0 (w2), Nel 5-0-22-1 (nb1, w2), Hall 2.2-0-14-1 (w1) (one spell each).

Progress: 50 in 49 min, 65 balls. 15 overs score: 87-1. 100 in 84 min, 110 balls.

Solanki 50: 65 min, 52 balls, 8 fours, 1 six.

Umpires: N A Mallender (England) and S J A Taufel (Australia).

TV Replay umpire: J W Lloyds (England). Match referee: C H Lloyd (West Indies).

England win by seven wickets.

Man of the Match: D Gough. Man of the Series: A Flintoff.