Graeme Smith hit a magnificent unbeaten century as South Africa won the third Test comprehensively and claimed a first Live text - England v S Africa ...
England Synod votes for women bishops ...
Australian anger over Fiji threat ... series win in England since 1965.

After beginning day four at Edgbaston on 297-6, England were bowled out for 363, setting the tourists 281 to win.

Andrew Flintoff, Monty Panesar and James Anderson then all struck as South Africa collapsed from 65-0 to 111-4.

But Smith (154no) and Mark Boucher (45no) batted with great composure to hand their side a five-wicket triumph.

England will rue their failure to dismiss Smith who was the beneficiary of two poor umpiring decision and a squandered run out attempt.

It was difficult to see South Africa recovering from the loss of their talismanic captain, whose innings inflicts on England a second defeat in four home Test series since Peter Moores replaced Duncan Fletcher as coach.

The match would have finished sooner were it not for Paul Collingwood's 135 and his 66-run partnership with Ryan Sidebottom in the morning session.

Collingwood resumed England's second innings with Tim Ambrose but their 76-run stand on day three, which hauled Michael Vaughan's men back into contention, ended almost immediately.

Under heavy, overcast skies and on a wearing pitch that looked as though it might provide some uneven bounce for the taller bowlers, Smith gave the new ball to Morne Morkel (4-97) and he bowled Ambrose with the second ball of the day.

The situation might, and arguably should, have deteriorated further when Collingwood shuffled across his stumps and was wrapped on the pads in Morkel's third over.

The ball nipped back and replays suggested it was set to hit middle and leg but umpire Steve Davis remained unmoved.

Far from adopting a more cautious approach after his reprieve, Collingwood opened his shoulders and began to punish a bowling attack that struggled to hit a consistent line and length.

A flurry of boundaries followed off Morkel and Makhaya Ntini, Collingwood equally fluent pulling through the on side and driving through off.

After scoring just one run off 28 balls, even Sidebottom began to flourish, dispatching a wayward Andre Nel for consecutive fours before crashing Jacques Kallis to the same effect the following over.

A moment of controversy saw Sidebottom edge Kallis into AB de Villiers's palms at ground level and, with the batsman standing his ground and De Villiers calling the catch, the decision was refer erred to the third umpire and Sidebottom was spared.

After Sidebottom gloved an attempted pull off Morkel to Hashim Amla at short leg, England added just one more run from 11 balls as James Anderson was bowled by Kallis and then Collingwood edged Morkel behind to end the innings.

England would not have envisaged taking to the field so soon but Sidebottom and Anderson opened up with zest, generating bounce and seam, while Panesar induced a hint of turn out of the dry rough areas outside the off stump.

Smith and Neil McKenzie held firm to reach 11-0 at lunch and then made steady progress after the restart, with Smith passing 1000 Test runs for 2008 and rarely troubled.

McKenzie appeared considerably less comfortable, though, especially after a huge appeal by Panesar for caught at short leg, which was correctly rejected after looping up off a pad.

But the right-hander was struggling and, when he failed to pick out a Flintoff full toss that cannoned into his planted foot, his time was up.

It was an imperative breakthrough for England and it was important for them to capitalise on their momentum.

Panesar was producing and unnerving spell and his reward came when Amla misread an arm ball that skidded on towards middle stump and trapped him, arguably a little high.

England were stirring and when Flintoff removed Kallis with an inswinging full toss that careered into his left thigh, Vaughan's side sensed an unlikely triumph to level the series.

Kallis was visibly incensed, not by the dismissal itself but the fall of another batsman who lost the flight of a Flintoff delivery because of a perceived problem with the Pavilion End sightscreen.

The vigour with which Panesar was beginning to appeal risked landing the 26-year-old in trouble, but he was entitled to feel hard done after shaving the glove of Ashwell Prince en route to wicketkeeper Ambrose, only for Aleem Dar to shake his head.

England will feel justice was served when, two balls into the next over, Anderson coaxed a thin edge from Prince that Ambrose gleefully clasped.

Fortunately for South Africa, Smith looked in fine nick and brought up his half-century by glancing Anderson through gulley for four before tea.

Smith batted even more impressively at the beginning of the final session as he and De Villiers put their side firmly in control.

With the ball was beginning to explode out of the rough, it seemed Smith was fortunate to survive after playing no stroke at a Panesar delivery that spat back into his pads from outside off stump.

De Villiers cut Panesar for four in the 41st over as South Africa moved half way towards their target but moments later Smith would have been ousted had Ian Bell not fumbled Ambrose's throw with the 27-year-old short of his ground.

England were riled once more when Smith gloved Panesar to Ambrose and, the very next ball, his airborne pull towards Andrew Strauss at midwicket fell inches short.

The game swung back England's way when De Villiers, who had been playing Panesar better than Smith, for once followed the spin and kissed one to Collingwood for a fine slip catch.

But then Smith a Boucher set about a 112-run partnership, which proved decisive.

(BBC)

<< Back