AFTER being in the doldrums for much of this dismal summer, England's cricketers are now basking in the glory of their Test win over South Africa at Trent Bridge.

And the spotlight is sharply focused on Headingley next Thursday when the two countries begin their final showdown and the winners take all.

It's going to be one hell of a match and I will stick my neck right out and back England.

I think Alec Stewart is exactly the right sort of captain to get his players to respond to the surge of enthusiasm for them and I also believe that Mike Atherton has helped to tame the fury of Allan Donald with his brilliant unbeaten 98, which did so much to win the Fourth Test for England by eight wickets.

Rarely has sport witnessed such naked but perfectly controlled aggression between two world class competitors as was seen in the confrontation between Donald and Atherton after the former England captain had survived a roaring appeal for a catch behind the wicket.

Donald resembled a warrior going for the kill, mercilessly hounding his prey, using every ounce of skill and energy to destroy him.But Atherton looked his man in the eye and would not yield, would not budge an inch from the territory he was claiming as his own and the wickets he was defending.

It was Atherton who came through to win the battle and probably give England the strength and courage to go on to win the war.It will take an almost super-human effort from Donald to go through all this again, but he is one of the greatest bowlers of all time and if a weak link is exposed in England's armour he will prise it open.

All sorts of weird and wonderful theories have been advanced over the past few weeks as to why Test attendances had dipped this year, and some columnists and celebrities who should know better have been writing the game off.

But England have demonstrated that people will still flock to watch a winning team, whatever the weather, and the proof is in the fantastic demand for tickets for the Headingley match.

There had been fears that Headingley would be a dead duck and that the game would be played out in front of half empty terraces, yet England's resurgence meant that £100,000 worth of tickets were sold on Monday and Tuesday alone as demand reached unprecedented levels.

"Yorkshire is where the heart of English cricket beats and there is no doubt that the Yorkshire public are responding to the call to support the national team in this vital Test," said Yorkshire secretary David Ryder.

The Yorkshire public will certainly be right behind England, and Headingley will explode with excitement if local hero Darren Gough can help his country win with a rousing personal performance.

There is no doubt that Gough is a man for the big occasion and he will be straining every sinew in a bid to send the stumps flying.Both Gough and England will be looking to do better than when South Africa were at Headingley four years ago in the only game in the three-match series to be played in the provinces.

England scored 477 for nine declared, but South Africa replied with 447 out of which Peter Kirsten hit 104 to become, at 39 years and 84 days, the sixth oldest player to make a maiden Test century.

In England's second innings, Graeme Hick scored his first Test century on home soil before England declared at 267 for five, but the game quickly fizzled out into a pretty tame draw.

Atherton will this time be coming to Headingley as a hero - a rare accolade for a Lancastrian - but four years' ago he arrived in many people's eyes as the villain.

In the previous Test at Lord's, the first in the series, South Africa were winners by 356 runs, but the result was overshadowed by the storm which erupted over Atherton producing dirt from his pocket and rubbing it over the ball.

England chairman of selectors Ray Illingworth went on to fine Atherton £2,000 for the incident and there were calls for Atherton to resign the captaincy, but he survived and the crowd were on his side at Headingley.

There were groans all round when Atherton was caught and bowled by Brian McMillan for 99 in the first innings and he returned to the pavilion to a standing ovation.

The match was a personal triumph for Atherton but ended in some misery for his old adversary, Donald, who took one for 135 in the first innings and was suffering so badly with an infected toe that he was only a bystander in the second innings, watching the game on crutches from the dressing room balcony.

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