Atherton's unbeaten, career-best 185 spanned a marathon 644 minutes from 492 balls with 28 boundaries. It was his ninth test century and surpassed the 151 he made against New Zealand at Trent Bridge in 1990.
Requiring a world-record 479 to win, England lost just one wicket on the last day after resuming on 167 for four and saved a match they had seemed destined to lose, finishing on 351 for five.
Wicketkeeper Jack Russell kept his captain company in typically quirky, infuriating fashion for a remarkable 276 minutes while scoring just 29 from 236 deliveries.
The first test was rained out.
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Pakistan salvaged some pride by beating Australia by 74 runs in the third and final test in Sydney on Monday after a mesmerizing performance by leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed.
Mushtaq claimed four wickets to lift his tally for the three-test series to 18 as Australia collapsed for 172 in their second innings on the fifth and final day at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It was a dramatic reversal of form by the tourists who were beaten by huge margins in the first two tests of the series.
Mushtaq, overlooked for the first test in Brisbane, was Pakistan's leading wicket-taker in all four Australian innings since his recall to the side for the second test in Hobart.
Mushtaq, the man of the match, tormented his opponents in a outstanding display to finish with figures of four for 91 from 30 overs, adding to his five-wicket haul in the first innings, a career best in test cricket.
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