The Kiwis are on the march. Their resurgence in this third Test was based on talent - new talent added to a decent core of established good players. Just as importantly, they played with a new spirit that took the contest to their more celebrated opponents. Craig McMillan's gesture at the end said as much as any effort with bat or ball. As he ran in to bowl to Jason Gillespie he extended his arms in bird-fashion as Gillespie had done to him earlier in the match - and this despite comment in the media that Gillespie may well have broken the laws of the game by doing so. McMillan is a talented, cheeky cricketer – a player to enjoy – and the gesture confirmed what we had seen throughout this Test. New Zealand were not prepared to take a backward step against the world champions and this made for a great match.

Equally, the Australians deserve praise for daring to chance their arm late in today's hectic finale. Admittedly, the onslaught was based on one of the game's most audacious talents, Adam Gilchrist. It says much for Gilchrist's impact on Test cricket that, once he had settled in at the crease along with Steve Waugh, they decided that Gilchrist would go for some big shots and see what happened. Despite having a mountain of runs to make, the Australians went for victory, scoring quickly enough to make the unthinkable a remote possibility, then losing enough wickets to make for a tense final few overs. Gilchrist is the sort of explosive player who can make this Australian team dare to dream.

In the end the Perth pitch - and a few debatable umpiring decisions - foiled the Kiwis. This has been the driest WACA pitch for years, hard as a highway and as true as tarmac. It offered less turn for Daniel Vettori today than on previous days. They could play a decent match on it starting tomorrow. The Kiwis were lucky to survive the first two Tests with draws but they played superbly in the third. What a five-match series this would have been.

The challenge for New Zealand is to maintain momentum now that Lou Vincent and Shane Bond have sparked a renewal. The challenge for Australia is to regain form and spark before their next assignment - the small matter of a series against South Africa.

Mark Ray has covered Australian cricket since 1987 and is also the author of a number of books on the game.

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