Kirtley turns tide back in favour of England

The pitch at Trent Bridge may not be up to scratch but, with help from the players of England and South Africa, it has produced four days of intense and intriguing Test cricket. At the end of a day when the fortunes of this crucial game swung quickly from one side to the other, it was England who walked off the field as favourites to level this five-match series when bad light stopped play at 5.45.

Chasing the 202 runs they require for victory in the third Test, South Africa, in the face of 33 hostile and disciplined overs from England's youthful bowling attack, had been reduced to 63 for 5, still 139 runs away from their target.

For the 11,000 who attended, it was a shame that this gripping encounter did not reach its natural conclusion yesterday evening, but they and the first 4,000 who turn up this morning can watch what should be a tantalising final day's play for free.

After watching England collapse to a dismal 118 all out in the first half of the day, it was the tourists who were expected to take an unassailable lead in the series.

Against an inspired Shaun Pollock, who took his first five-wicket haul for South Africa in 26 innings, England had little answer. But through eight overs of intelligent and honest toil from the England new-boy James Kirtley, and nine classy overs from James Anderson, it is Michael Vaughan's side who will have the more comfortable night's sleep.

Kirtley, the Sussex fast bowler with an action that has always attracted attention, showed no sign of nerves playing in his first Test match. Indeed, it was he who Vaughan showed the greatest faith in when he gave the 28-year-old the new ball and the responsibility of getting England off to a good start. Kirtley responded magnificently and, in a searching eight-over spell, dismissed Graeme Smith - possibly off his inside edge - and Jacques Rudolph with inswingers.

With the crowd roaring each of England's bowlers in, Stephen Harmison, struggling with a sore right calf, and Andrew Flintoff gave excellent support to England's two swing bowlers while they made the most of the inconsistent bounce that is becoming ever more evident from the Pavilion End.

Before Anderson's vital two-wicket burst, Harmison claimed the scalp of Herschelle Gibbs when the opener attempted to pull a ball that hurried him. With South Africa on 40 for 3 the atmosphere inside this famous old ground was reaching fever pitch.

Better was to follow for England. In the next over, bowled by Anderson, the 21-year-old lured Boeta Dippenaar to carelessly clip a catch to Ed Smith at mid-wicket. All this time South Africa's dangerman, Jacques Kallis, was watching from the other end, but even he had no answer to the Lancastrian who uprooted his leg-stump via an inside edge.

With South Africa perilously placed on 50 for 5 and with 23 overs of play remaining, many were hoping Vaughan's side would wrap up the victory there and then. Despite the scoreboard, England, who have had by far the best of the conditions in this match, will need to bowl with the same aggression and skill today if they are to travel to Leeds for Thursday's fourth Test with honours even.

South Africa still have four batsmen that are capable of scoring Test-match hundreds and it will only take one decent partnership to make English pulses race.

After starting the fourth day with an 83-run lead, England ought to be in a powerful position and this valuable advantage would have been greater had Vaughan's bowlers shown similar discipline on this unpredictable pitch on Saturday.

Indeed, until Pollock gave his masterclass, the bowling in this Test had been ordinary. A quick look at the crazy-paving surface indicates where the majority of balls have pitched in this match. On a wicket that rewards perseverance to those bowlers who are prepared to bowl straight and on a good length, too many of the pitch marks are short and outside off-stump.

Before play began on Saturday, there was speculation as to whether Smith, the South African captain, had been wise to be critical of the pitch with his team in deep trouble. Several pundits thought it was a sign that South Africa were expecting the worst over the remaining three days.

How wrong they were. South Africa's batsmen battled hard to stay in this match and give themselves an outside chance of turning things around. Following the early loss of Rudolph and Dippenaar to successive Kirtley deliveries - giving the Sussex fast bowler his first two Test victims - Neil McKenzie, Mark Boucher and Pollock did a superb job in getting their side to 362. Anderson was the most successful of England's bowlers and picked up a second five-wicket haul in only his fifth Test.

By the way Vaughan and his fellow batsmen nervously prodded and poked about at the crease it looked as though Smith's comments had frightened England rather than his own side.

The England captain was the first to go when he edged a beauty from Pollock through to the wicket-keeper. Mark Butcher and Ed Smith quickly fell to the first two deliveries Andrew Hall sent down, and by the time Alec Stewart edged a loose push through to Boucher, England were only 127 runs ahead with five wickets in hand.

Matters failed to improve after lunch. Pollock trapped Nasser Hussain plum in front for 30 and then tempted Flintoff to go after a ball he could have left alone.

Ashley Giles added a useful 21, but he and the remainder of the England tail failed to offer much resistance. After taking 4 for 25 in 9.4 searching overs Pollock would have walked of the ground feeling he had secured his side an unlikely victory. He still could, but it will now be with a bat in his hand, not a ball.

TRENT BRIDGE SCOREBOARD

(Fourth day of five; England won toss)

ENGLAND - First innings 445 (N Hussain 116, M A Butcher 106, A J Stewart 72, E T Smith 64)

SOUTH AFRICA - First innings 362 (N D McKenzie 90, S M Pollock 62; J M Anderson 5-102)

ENGLAND - Second innings
M E Trescothick c Adams b Pollock 0
M P Vaughan c Boucher b Pollock 5
M A Butcher b Hall 8
N Hussain lbw b Pollock 30
E T Smith lbw b Hall 0
A J Stewart c Boucher b Kallis 5
A Flintoff c Gibbs b Pollock 30
A F Giles c Boucher b Pollock 21
R J Kirtley c Boucher b Ntini 3
S J Harmison not out 2
J M Anderson lbw b Pollock 2
Extras (b4, lb5, nb3) 12
Total (215min, 46.4 overs) 118

Fall: 1-0 (Trescothick), 2-17 (Vaughan), 3-39 (Butcher), 4-39 (Smith), 5-44 (Stewart), 6-76 (Hussain), 7-91 (Flintoff), 8-114 (Kirtley), 9-114 (Giles), 10-118 (Anderson).

Bowling: Pollock 17.4-4-39-6 (nb3) (8-2-15-2 9.4-2-24-4), Ntini 13-5-28-1 (7-5-13-0 2-0-3-0 4-0-12-1), Kallis 10-2-36-1 (7-2-18-1 3-0-18-0), Hall 6-2-6-2 (one spell).

Progress: Third day: close 0-1 (Vaughan 0) 0.1 overs. Fourth day: 50 in 109min, 24 overs. Lunch 60-5 (Hussain 22, Flintoff 9) 28 overs. 100 in 179min, 39.1 overs. Innings closed 2.58pm - early tea taken.

SOUTH AFRICA - Second innings
G C Smith lbw b Kirtley 5
H H Gibbs c Giles b Harmison 28
J A Rudolph lbw b Kirtley 0
J H Kallis b Anderson 13
H H Dippenaar c Smith b Anderson 1
N D McKenzie not out 6
M V Boucher not out 9
Extras (lb1) 1
Total (5 wkts, 146 min, 33 overs) 63

Fall: 1-22 (Smith), 2-28 (Rudolph), 3-40 (Gibbs), 4-41 (Dippenaar), 5-50 (Kallis).

Bowling: Kirtley 8-5-13-2 (one spell), Flintoff 8-3-26-0 (5-1-24-0 3-2-2-0), Harmison 8-1-16-1, Anderson 9-4-7-2 (one spell each).

Progress: Fourth day: 50 in 96 mins, 21 overs. Bad light stopped play 5.46pm.

Umpires: D B Hair and D J Harper.

TV Replay Umpire: N A Mallender.

Match Referee: R S Madugalle.