Captain Nasser Hussain punched the air in delight as he rushed off the Headingley pitch last night after his England side produced a performance bristling with hostility and determination to complete the quickest Test victory in 54 years.

Hussain sprinted to the dressing room to celebrate the most clinical and professional performance under his captaincy and the first two-day Test finish since Australia beat New Zealand by an innings and 103 runs at Wellington in 1946.

The Test lasted until just 5.10pm on the second evening when West Indies were dismissed for 61, their second innings spanning just 26.2 overs and 126 amazing minutes as they slumped to an innings-and-39- runs defeat which keeps England on course for their first series victory over the tourists since 1969.

It was the first two-day finish in this country since 1921, only the 16th of all time and the first one won by England since 1912.

''The selectors will now just focus on the five days at The Oval. After all the hard work that's gone on this summer, with the two Test series and triangular tournament, they are the most important of the summer,'' said Hussain.

''It seems like there's a lot of cricket been played and it's only Friday night. We can't do anything about that, just play to the conditions and try win the game. Two-day Test matches are for other people to discuss. It's better to win a two-day Test than lose it.

''A lot has happened in this series, it is hard on the mind of the captain because you can never say you've won that game with Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose around. They can come back at you.

''We are starting to formulate a team, we are starting to get consistency which comes from winning. It's an improvement but the only thing we are judged by are series victories, which is the next stage on.

''When you've got Darren Gough with a lead of 100 and the new ball in his hand, he gives you absolutely everything.

England's stunning display was underpinned by the contributions of Yorkshire trio Craig White, Michael Vaughan and Darren Gough before Andrew Caddick produced the electric final burst to complete the dramatic victory.

They had begun the second day with thoughts centred on avoiding a first innings deficit, never mind completing a memorable triumph, resuming 67 runs adrift on 105 for five with their controversial policy of selecting seven batsman very much under examination.

As it was, they passed their test so comprehensively that West Indies looked a beaten force long before England were dismissed for 272 to claim what looked a crucial 100-run advantage.

Curtly Ambrose had successfully claimed the early breakthrough by having nightwatchman Caddick caught behind in the seventh over of the day, but it was another 25 overs before they ended the match-winning seventh-wicket partnership between Vaughan and Graeme Hick.

That 98-run stand, which began with England still trailing by 48, began thoughtfully with both batsman determined not to let Ambrose and Walsh re-establish West Indies' advantage.

But once they were both withdrawn from the attack to save them for the new ball, Hick in particular took advantage by savaging Reon King and Nixon McLean to bring up his half-century off just 85 deliveries.

Vaughan continued his sterling work by progressing to a Test-best 76, an innings which would have been worth double on other surfaces, but failed to score his maiden Test century when he edged the second delivery with the new ball from Ambrose behind.

West Indies had looked increasingly rattled in the field, contributing 18 no balls and three wides to England's useful total, but panic began to spread through their dressing room when they were presented with Gough's lightning burst from the Rugby Stand End.

Gough took just three overs to find his range when Adrian Griffith, playing loosely outside off stump, was bowled through bat and pad to give England the glimmer of hope they required to press on for victory.

Wavell Hinds followed him back to the dejected dressing room after the next delivery, given leg before to a straight ball after failing to move out of his crease to bring Brian Lara out to the middle to defend the hat-trick ball.

The only previous occasion Gough has achieved the feat in England's colours was in Sydney, when the England fans were very much in the minority as he dismissed Ian Healy, Stuart MacGill and Colin Miller with successive deliveries.

This time, in front of a partisan home crowd, he was roared on and Lara pushed forward to prod the ball to short extra cover and prevent Gough from a repeat performance of his Australian landmark.

Lara's reprieve was only temporary, however, with Gough striking again in his next over to remove the talented left-hander leg before with a virtual identical dismissal to the first innings as he shouldered arms to an inswinger.

That took Gough's haul to four for eight in 29 deliveries and after White's five-wicket first innings haul and Vaughan's determined 76, England's march to victory was becoming an all-Yorkshire affair until Caddick demanded a piece of the action.

Dominic Cork claimed the crucial wicket of Jimmy Adams, playing on attempting to drive outside off-stump having been rattled by a nasty blow on the right hand the previous ball, but it was Caddick who gave England the impetus to claim only the 16th two-day Test victory in history.

Switched to the Rugby Stand End, Caddick claimed four wickets in six legitimate deliveries - England's best since Chris Old grabbed four wickets in five balls against Pakistan at Edgbaston in 1978.

His amazing spell began when umpire Doug Cowie gave a fortuitous leg before decision against Ridley Jacobs.

But there was no dispute about the remaining wickets with McLean, Ambrose, King and Walsh in a later over all losing their stumps in quick succession.