A MEMORABLE opening partnership by Len Hutton and Graham Gooch took England close to victory in the third CMJ/Wisden Test match after an attacking declaration from Garry Sobers set up a superb finish in Cape Town.

The Rest of the World had claimed a huge first-innings lead of 335 but the bowling skills of Muttiah Muralitharan and Dennis Lillee were eventually needed to give the multinational side a 2-1 lead with two matches remaining.

Sunil Gavaskar, who never played official Tests in South Africa, took the chance to compile a watchful century for the Rest of the World. He lasted for 333 balls and his 145 contained only ten fours.

There was a delightful period of double vision when Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar, the two little Indian masters, put on 87 before Tendulkar fell to Derek Underwood for 39.

Fred Trueman eventually had Gavaskar caught at mid-off with the total at 273, but by then Brian Lara was established. He lashed nine fours in his 75, after which Adam Gilchrist cracked a quick 66. At the other end in this left-handers’ parade, Sobers looked on. When Ian Botham and Brian Statham blew away the tail, finishing with three wickets apiece, Sobers was stranded on 89, with ten sparkling fours.

The Rest’s total of 485 looked larger still as Malcolm Marshall tore in. England slumped to 32 for three, as Gooch, Ted Dexter and Peter May fell to the Barbadian speedster, and the score was only 68 when Marshall added a fourth, Colin Cowdrey padding up once too often.

Hutton, with a patient 48, and Botham (39) steadied the ship, but then Shane Warne got to work. Hutton feathered a catch behind and the fall of Botham to the flipper triggered the type of collapse that has haunted England in this series. The last five wickets crumbled for just nine runs.

Mindful of the problems that might face the team batting last, Sobers decided not to enforce the follow-on. When Barry Richards fell cheaply to Trueman for the second time, Sobers pushed Gilchrist up the order in the search for quick runs. He responded with a brisk 42, while Gavaskar, who was named man of the match, had grafted his way to 57 when the declaration came.

England’s target was 486, but they had two full days in which to score the runs.

The openers gave them a great start. It was quite a sight: Hutton slight and diffident, wielding his undersize bat like a wand; Gooch chunky and confident, brandishing what seemed to Hutton like a railway sleeper.

As the fourth day unfolded, Sobers tried not to think of Port of Spain in 1968, when his declaration led to a series-winning victory for England.

Hutton and Gooch batted on, past the tea interval, before Sobers took the second new ball. Lillee responded by trimming Gooch’s bails for 104. He faced 246 balls, hit eight fours plus a big six off Muralitharan, and the partnership with Hutton was worth 205.

In the last over of the fourth day, Warne trapped Dexter in front for 19. There was more bad news for England in the third over of the final day, when Lillee disposed of Hutton. He faced 305 balls and hit nine fours, and his 113 was his third hundred of the series.

Lillee had Cowdrey caught behind, too, but then May and Botham joined forces. Botham was in subdued mode — his 49 contained only four fours — and with less than 100 needed he was run out. Shortly afterwards Muralitharan had May caught at slip for 64.

Murali whipped out Laker, Underwood and Trueman for ducks, and finished things off with a return catch from Statham, for a five-wicket haul.

Computer simulation devised for Wisden.com by Y. Ananth Narayanan, of Hallmark Software, Bangalore, India. Detailed player profiles and a Wisden 20:20 statistical analysis of the match can be found at http://www.wisden.com/