England on the brink as Atherton stands firm

After a month or so in which scorn and derision have been heaped by the bucket-load on the England team, redemption beckons. A fine Test match has been bubbling up here at Trent Bridge and it is just possible - fingers crossed - that Alec Stewart and his side will win it and square a series that had seemed doomed.

The equation is simple: to beat South Africa and take the series to a climax at Headingley on Thursday week England need a further 139 runs and have nine wickets in hand. They will begin the final day on 108 for one, with Mike Atherton unbeaten on 43 after more than three hours under a mighty cosh, and Nasser Hussain on 23, the pair having added 68 so far.

The situation might have been a lot worse, though, had the New Zealand umpire Steve Dunne not dismissed a claim for a catch at the wicket during a torrid eight-over spell by Allan Donald from the pavilion end in the final session.

Donald was operating around the wicket when his bouncer, fast and at that awkward height where the batsman can neither get his hands high enough nor sufficiently low, appeared to clip Atherton, 27 at the time, on the top glove as he tried to sway out of the way.

The ball would have dropped short of first slip but Mark Boucher dived across to take the catch at grass level. Atherton stood his ground as the South Africans celebrated, perhaps trusting to the umpire's decision - everyone does these days - or maybe even wondering if Boucher had taken the chance cleanly, as everyone also seems to do these days.

The response of the bowler was entirely predictable and brought the most compelling cricket of the summer: another couple of notches cranked up on the speedometer thanks to the adrenalin surge, some steely invective directed at the batsman and a passage of play of the sort that curdles the blood of spectators but sends it coursing through Atherton's veins. It was stupendous pace bowling. Just once, when he swung a mighty hook at a bouncer and top-edged it into the open spaces, did he appear flustered. Later Hussain received the same treatment, survived - correctly, it proved - an appeal for a catch at the wicket when 23 and then saw Boucher drop a straightforward catch next ball. Boucher beat the ground in frustration. Donald might have opted for capital punishment.

England's record at home is unimpressive: only once, 96 years ago, have they made more to win than the 247 asked of them now; and on only three further occasions have they even topped 200 in the last innings.

England began their final task 50 minutes before tea and, batting with a commendably positive attitude, Atherton and Mark Butcher added 40 for the first wicket. The left-hander drove four boundaries before he was drawn into a defensive poke outside off stump by Shaun Pollock's testing line from around the wicket and Boucher took yet another catch.

To see it through to the close required guts, skill and luck but Atherton and Hussain did so, Hussain taking his only boundaries in one over from Steve Elworthy, and Atherton opening the face to drive square with his trademark precision. The defence of both was impeccable.

That England had been able to get into a winning position was down initially to the effort of the seamers in dismissing South Africa for 208 in their second innings, when, from 93 for three overnight, a more substantial score seemed certain. Principal in this was Angus Fraser, who followed a barren time with the ball in the previous match with five for 62 in the second innings here, giving him match figures of 10 for 122. At the other end Dominic Cork stirred himself (or perhaps was stirred) and took four for 60, including the vital wicket of the South African captain Hansie Cronje, who followed his first-innings century with a composed 67 before he edged a loose cut to Stewart.

Earlier Stewart courted controversy when he claimed a catch down the legside to dismiss Jonty Rhodes, the ball clipping the batsman's pad rather than his bat. Everyone these days is required to take the rough with the smooth but Rhodes's response in the wake of a duff decision was exemplary. A few cards will have been marked here.

There was further controversy when Cronje, eight balls before he was out without further addition, drove loosely at a wide ball from Cork and Hussain, at point, flung himself to his left and picked up what might have been a catch. Cronje, rightly, stood his ground and a replay proved inconclusive.

Of more concern was Hussain's gesture, while on the ground, that he thought a replay might be in order. The Australian batsman Greg Blewett will testify that Hussain does not have a great track record on this front. Besides, if he had sufficient doubt to warrant a replay, that was doubt enough.