South Africa 291 & 447/7d
England 273 & 282/7 (136.2 ov)
England won the toss and elected to field
Day 5 - Session 3
* IR Bell 74* (208)
* SCJ Broad 0* (18)
* DW Steyn 33.2-11-64-2
* PL Harris 39-14-81-2
South Africa 1st innings England 1st innings South Africa 2nd innings England 2nd innings
* Fours
* Sixes
* Wickets
* AJ Strauss 45
* AN Cook 55
* IJL Trott 42
* KP Pietersen 6
* JM Anderson 9
* PD Collingwood 40
* IR Bell 74*
* MJ Prior 4
* SCJ Broad 0*
* M Morkel 0/51
* DW Steyn 2/64
* F de Wet 1/23
* PL Harris 2/81
* JH Kallis 0/28
* JP Duminy 2/30
Overs 1-50 | Overs 51-100 | Overs 101-150
Welcome back to a riveting contest, and after a meandering sort of a morning, things are about to get very tasty indeed. Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook are in the middle, Morne Morkel has the new ball, and what happens in the next half-hour could decide the destiny of this match.
Strauss has fallen to Morkel five times in his last seven innings. Here he goes, from round the wicket as ever
0.1
Morkel to Strauss, no run, good line to launch the innings, outside off and good carry as Morkel shoulders arms
0.2
Morkel to Strauss, 1 run, a Pietersen-esque Red Bull run from Strauss as he taps to cover and legs it off the strike.
Good batting too. As Boycott always said, the best place to play the new ball is from the non-striker's end
0.3
Morkel to Cook, 1 run, Cook's away too, as Morkel strays onto his pads
0.4
Morkel to Strauss, no run, outside off, left alone
"Rubbish!" says Mike Barber. "England have lost - end of." Maybe. But Mike Selvey, the Guardian's sagely correspondent was calling a draw in his report last night, and he's seen a few pitches in his time
0.5
Morkel to Strauss, no run, outside off, good carry once again
0.6
Morkel to Strauss, no run, a good exploratory over, no stroke offered once again. A fraction too much width to demand a stroke, but plenty unsettling bounce
End of over 1 (2 runs) England 2/0
AJ Strauss 1* (5b) M Morkel 1-0-2-0
AN Cook 1* (1b)
Steyn to share the new-ball honours. He was first-change in the first innings
1.1
Steyn to Cook, no run, good length to launch proceedings, and he's tailing the ball nicely back into the left-hander's pads
1.2
Steyn to Cook, no run, outside off, this one keeps going away from the bat
1.3
Steyn to Cook, no run, full length, tight line, left alone again
1.4
Steyn to Cook, 1 run, forward and blocked
"Morkel != Strauss," says Deon. I don't even know what that symbol means. But I can hazard a guess
1.5
Steyn to Strauss, no run, solidly blocked on off stump
"Is no-one thinking England can still win this?" says David Coates. "Lets face it, its an average of 100 per session and our big man, Mr KP, is very very due a big score so if that score comes." English optimism? Whatever next
1.6
Steyn to Strauss, no run, edged, and centimetres short! Wow, that was severely close. Excellent ball, cramping Strauss for room and climbing at his edge from a good angled length. Smith at first slip scoops, but the ball dies before he gets there
End of over 2 (1 run) England 3/0
AJ Strauss 1* (7b) DW Steyn 1-0-1-0
AN Cook 2* (5b) M Morkel 1-0-2-0
2.1
Morkel to Cook, no run, round the wicket, tight angle back into the left-hander, no stroke
Three slips, gully, short leg, short cover
2.2
Morkel to Cook, no run, short and rising. Cook sways
2.3
Morkel to Cook, no run, outside off, no stroke offered, through to the keeper.
Cook's awareness of his off stump has been a feature of this series. For the first time in a long time, he's looking the most secure of England's openers
2.4
Morkel to Cook, no run, thinks about playing at a good lifter that straightens as it pitches. But wisely thinks better of it
2.5
Morkel to Cook, no run, shoulders arms once again, less bounce this time
2.6
Morkel to Cook, 1 run, patted into the gap and good running
"If England perform to their batting averages then we score 398.95," says Gavan. "So we will need some way-above-average performances to find another 67.05 runs too! The last bit sounds like Pietersen..."
End of over 3 (1 run) England 4/0
AN Cook 3* (11b) M Morkel 2-0-3-0
AJ Strauss 1* (7b) DW Steyn 1-0-1-0
Tidy and moderately eventful first overs. Whatever next ...
3.1
Steyn to Cook, no run, good delivery, really tight to the stumps and wobbling at high speed. Cook flinches a back-foot defence, back down the pitch
3.2
Steyn to Cook, no run, half-forward, full face, blocked
3.3
Steyn to Cook, 1 leg bye, on the pads, whisked away, another chance to rotate the strike
Good running will be key for England here. A chance to ease the pressure of dot-balls
3.4
Steyn to Strauss, no run, half-forward and rigidly blocked on off stump. Anxious times for England, and you can sense a buzz about the ground now
3.5
Steyn to Strauss, no run, keeps low on the pads, but safely pushed back down the pitch
3.6
Steyn to Strauss, no run, speared down the leg-side, a one-day wide. But this is a Test match, and hurrah for that
End of over 4 (maiden) England 5/0
AJ Strauss 1* (10b) DW Steyn 2-1-1-0
AN Cook 3* (14b) M Morkel 2-0-3-0
4.1
Morkel to Cook, no run, on the pads, tucked to short midwicket
Mike Barber, who I assumed was a jubilant Saffa, has now shown his true pessimistic colours. "Stop all this nonsense about England winning. 466 has never been achieved in 2000 Tests. If we get 300 it'll be a good effort."
4.2
Morkel to Cook, no run, outside off, safely ignored
4.3
Morkel to Cook, no run, firmly forward and poked back to the bowler
4.4
Morkel to Cook, no run, on the pads and tucked to short leg
4.5
Morkel to Cook, no run, two feet outside off, no danger of a stroke there
4.6
Morkel to Cook, no run, outside off, good carry but again no stroke
So, England have negotiated five overs, with only one half-alarm. Here's Sahil Dutta
End of over 5 (maiden) England 5/0
AN Cook 3* (20b) M Morkel 3-1-3-0
AJ Strauss 1* (10b) DW Steyn 2-1-1-0
5.1
Steyn to Strauss, no run, and here's Steyn, landing it just outside off, and Strauss opts to leave this alone
5.2
Steyn to Strauss, no run, outside off again, good pace though, over 90mph, Strauss watches it go by
5.3
Steyn to Strauss, 1 run, this is tighter on the stumps, Strauss plays from the crease, but does it well enough, turning to the on side for a single
5.4
Steyn to Cook, no run, Cook tries to push forward to a fullish ball, as well his might, and defends
5.5
Steyn to Cook, 1 run, slightly wide of off stump, Cook could have left it but opted to block into the off side, and did it well enough to collect a single
5.6
Steyn to Strauss, no run, straight delivery, Strauss turns it on to the leg side, though he'd do well to play that back where it came from
End of over 6 (2 runs) England 7/0
AJ Strauss 2* (14b) DW Steyn 3-1-3-0
AN Cook 4* (22b) M Morkel 3-1-3-0
"A side will eventually score 466+ to win test match. It might as well be tomorrow," says Taz, who gets half of that right.
6.1
Morkel to Cook, no run, full, Cook is struggling to get to forward, but defends with ease from the crease
6.2
Morkel to Cook, no run, outside off stump, you could almost feel Cook exhale with relief as he let it go
Three slips, gully and a short mid on, almost silly, lurk.
6.3
Morkel to Cook, no run, the slips were almost in business as Cook has a flat-footed and aimless fiddle, in the off-stump channel that has troubled him so much in the past
6.4
Morkel to Cook, no run, on the back foot again, defending a ball that keeps a little low
6.5
Morkel to Cook, 3 runs, Morkel's endlessly long arms bring the ball down from a vicious height, Cook understandably is reluctant to get forward, but playing from the crease is a dangerous game, and he turns this a little airily through mid on for runs
6.6
Morkel to Strauss, no run, Morkel continuing his round-the-wicket attack, Strauss gets an open-face edge and Duminy, diving at gully makes a good save
End of over 7 (3 runs) England 10/0
AJ Strauss 2* (15b) M Morkel 4-1-6-0
AN Cook 7* (27b) DW Steyn 3-1-3-0
7.1
Steyn to Cook, 1 run, Steyn round the wicket at Cook, hits the rough part of the pitch and explodes, causes some mistiming as it squirts off an inside edge
7.2
Steyn to Strauss, no run, massive appeal! Strauss was pinned on the crease to a ball that kept low and crashed into his pads. South Africa opt not to review, after some discussion, and replays show it would only have clipped the stumps, so would have stayed with the umpire's original decision
7.3
Steyn to Strauss, no run, gets forward a little further here and blocks towards cover, the ball is staying down a fraction
7.4
Steyn to Strauss, no run, crushing pressure here from Steyn, another massive appeal, as Strauss goes for an expansive drive and again is rapped on the pads, luckily for him, it struck him just outside the line
7.5
Steyn to Strauss, no run, oh close again, Strauss decides to leave a ball that was honing in at off stump, it goes through to Boucher, high drama here
7.6
Steyn to Strauss, no run, Steyn completes a testing over, making life very difficult for Strauss at the moment, he defends this one from the crease
End of over 8 (1 run) England 11/0
AJ Strauss 2* (20b) DW Steyn 4-1-4-0
AN Cook 8* (28b) M Morkel 4-1-6-0
8.1
Morkel to Cook, no run, back of a length, climbing into the splice of Cook's bat as he defends towards point, excellent bowling
8.2
Morkel to Cook, no run, Cook does well here, positively getting forward, Morkel is bang-on with his accuracy, and it's blocked to cover
8.3
Morkel to Cook, 3 runs, fuller, really attacking the stumps, Cook is up to the task, driving through mid off, via the inside half of the bat for three
8.4
Morkel to Strauss, no run, outside off stump, Strauss shoulders arms, the first ball the batsman has not had to play in a while
8.5
Morkel to Strauss, 1 bye, ooops, Morkel has another Harmison moment, spearing the miles down leg side, where not even Boucher can collect tidily
8.6
Morkel to Cook, no run, outside off stump again, Cook throws him arms high above his head and leaves alone, this new ball is so crucial, he'll be delighted to let it go
End of over 9 (4 runs) England 15/0
AN Cook 11* (32b) M Morkel 5-1-9-0
AJ Strauss 2* (22b) DW Steyn 4-1-4-0
9.1
Steyn to Strauss, no run, just outside off stump, again it's left alone, with palpable relief for Strauss
9.2
Steyn to Strauss, no run, testing again, full and at the stumps, Strauss is forward, pushing to mid on
9.3
Steyn to Strauss, FOUR, good shot from Strauss but Steyn won't mind that at all, outside off stump, Strauss takes it on the up and crashes it through cover for England's first boundary
9.4
Steyn to Strauss, FOUR, this is a better stroke, the ball was full enough for a solid punch down the ground, which Strauss times very well
9.5
Steyn to Strauss, FOUR, another one! Didn't time this as well, but played firmly with a confident stride to through the covers
Forced a field change as Harris has come out of silly mid off to a regular mid off.
9.6
Steyn to Strauss, no run, left alone outside off stump, Steyn has a face built for snarling, and does so at Strauss. Good over for England.
End of over 10 (12 runs) England 27/0
AJ Strauss 14* (28b 3x4) DW Steyn 5-1-16-0
AN Cook 11* (32b) M Morkel 5-1-9-0
Couple of boundaries and Wayne is getting nervy "We need to remember that in the 2001-2002 test against Australia at Newlands (08/03/2002), Australia made 334/6 (Ponting 100 n/o) to beat us by 4 wickets." de Wet into the attack.
10.1
de Wet to Cook, no run, good start, on the stumps, forcing Cook to hop back and defend
10.2
de Wet to Cook, no run, back of a length, there is less venom visible than when Morkel was bowling, but it is mighty accurate and Cook defends
10.3
de Wet to Cook, no run, fuller this time, drawing Cook forward, he defends into the off side
10.4
de Wet to Cook, no run, drags his length back again, Cook fences his block somewhat, jabbing it into the off side
10.5
de Wet to Cook, no run, he continues from round the wicket, but this is far enough outside off for Cook to leave it alone
10.6
de Wet to Cook, no run, good ball to finish, full and Cook, hanging back on his crease a touch, defends back to the bowler
End of over 11 (maiden) England 27/0
AN Cook 11* (38b) F de Wet 1-1-0-0
AJ Strauss 14* (28b 3x4) DW Steyn 5-1-16-0
Paul Harris, who took nine wickets in the match here when South Africa played Australia, marked out his run and was ready to bowl, but Smith changed his mind and Steyn continues. Harris kicks the turf in disgust, but Steyn is bowling far too well to come off.
11.1
Steyn to Strauss, no run, full and attacking the stumps, Strauss gets half forward and defends
11.2
Steyn to Strauss, no run, this hurries Strauss, playing back, the ball gets up at him and he jumps in defence
Two men set back for the hook, this could be short and sharp.
11.3
Steyn to Strauss, no run, well, that is rapid! Strauss got in a tangle trying to sway out the way, the angle from round the wicket sends it straight into his body, he wears it on the shoulder and Steyn and the crowd are fired up. Strauss almost trod on his stumps as he took evasive action
11.4
Steyn to Strauss, no run, short again, Strauss gets under this one well
11.5
Steyn to Strauss, 1 run, much fuller, Strauss is pinned on the crease after those short balls, Strauss plops it into the off side and scampers a welcome single
11.6
Steyn to Cook, no run, good delivery to finish an excellent over, Cook defends solidly off the back foot into to the off side
End of over 12 (1 run) England 28/0
AN Cook 11* (39b) DW Steyn 6-1-17-0
AJ Strauss 15* (33b 3x4) F de Wet 1-1-0-0
12.1
de Wet to Strauss, no run, outside off stump, Strauss is happy to leave it alone
The slips and a gully in place.
12.2
de Wet to Strauss, no run, full and Strauss gets forward defending solidly, it's a different game from this end at the moment, which is not de Wet's fault, Steyn is on fire
12.3
de Wet to Strauss, no run, back of a length this time, Strauss defends with bat a little bit away from pad
12.4
de Wet to Strauss, no run, outside off stump, not much bite in this, harmlessly passing outside off stump
12.5
de Wet to Strauss, no run, outside off stump again, Strauss eagerly leaves it alone
12.6
de Wet to Strauss, no run, on the stumps this time, Strauss blocks it out to complete a tidy, but not overly threatening over
End of over 13 (maiden) England 28/0
AJ Strauss 15* (39b 3x4) F de Wet 2-2-0-0
AN Cook 11* (39b) DW Steyn 6-1-17-0
Here is Harris, after his false start last over, and he has a big role to play. Spinners in the last innings are always under pressure to deliver.
13.1
Harris to Cook, no run, starts well, bit of air, on off stump, Cook clips firmly to short mid wicket
13.2
Harris to Cook, FOUR, little bit too much air, Cook clips it again firmly, past a diving deep midwicket for a boundary
13.3
Harris to Cook, no run, good ball this time, outside off, hint of bounce and goes past Cook's defence
13.4
Harris to Cook, no run, full toss again, perhaps straining a bit, he's lucky to get away with it as Cook pushes it midwicket
13.5
Harris to Cook, 1 run, swept hard, and timed quite well but straight to the man out at deep square, good intent from Cook
13.6
Harris to Strauss, no run, well outside off, Strauss stretches and defends
End of over 14 (5 runs) England 33/0
AJ Strauss 15* (40b 3x4) PL Harris 1-0-5-0
AN Cook 16* (44b 1x4) F de Wet 2-2-0-0
14.1
de Wet to Cook, no run, over the wicket this time, pushing the ball across Cook, but too far across, and he shoulders arms
14.2
de Wet to Cook, no run, adjusts well, back on to an off stump line, Cook defends back to the bowler
14.3
de Wet to Cook, FOUR, not the right length to Cook, short and he rocks back and belts it through midwicket for a boundary, it sat up asking to be hit
14.4
de Wet to Cook, no run, back round the wicket, but importantly the length is adjusted, full and forcing Cook forward in defend
14.5
de Wet to Cook, no run, fuller again, Cook plays it with the angle out to mid on
14.6
de Wet to Cook, 1 run, little bit on the short side, allows Cook to stand up and turn it round the corner for a single
End of over 15 (5 runs) England 38/0
AN Cook 21* (50b 2x4) F de Wet 3-2-5-0
AJ Strauss 15* (40b 3x4) PL Harris 1-0-5-0
15.1
Harris to Cook, no run, full, Cook leans forward and defends
15.2
Harris to Cook, no run, brings his length back a touch, landing it in the rough, Cook defends with some uncertainty
15.3
Harris to Cook, no run, lands it in the rough, well wide of Cook's off stump, puff of dust as it lands and spins sharply back at Cook
15.4
Harris to Cook, no run, good pressure here, landing into the rougher areas of the pitch, Cook gets back and defends
15.5
Harris to Cook, no run, good ball, drifting away from Cook, dragging his bat away from pad and he defends
15.6
Harris to Cook, no run, into the rough again, and sharp turn and bounce, Cook leaves it alone but it cuts back into his pads, good over from Harris to finish the session.
Watching England bat for survival has made for thrilling cricket in recent times and, so far, this is no exception. Tell us on our Facebook page how you see things going and have a look at Andrew Miller's teatime bulletin.
That is tea and England will be relieved to have made it this far unscathed. Given a tricky 16 overs against the new ball, Strauss and Cook managed to repel an probing examination from Steyn and Morkel. Harris came on for a couple of overs before the break and after an innocuous first over, where he looked a little nervous, he settled down in his second, spinning it sharply out of the rough outside the left-hander's off stump. As the ball gets older he has to be South Africa's main weapon.
End of over 16 (maiden) England 38/0
AN Cook 21* (56b 2x4) PL Harris 2-1-5-0
AJ Strauss 15* (40b 3x4) F de Wet 3-2-5-0
The players are back out there, and this, as I suppose all the sessions are now, is absolutely crucial. If South Africa get a couple here, they should back themselves to do the job tomorrow. If Strauss and Cook are at the crease by the close, however, there might be a few people in England daring to dream of something sensational. Morkel will get this underway.
16.1
Morkel to Strauss, no run, starts outside off stump and Strauss gets a sighter, leaving it alone
16.2
Morkel to Strauss, no run, another one outside off and left alone
16.3
Morkel to Strauss, FOUR, this is slightly shorter, and some of the new-ball bit has diminished, allowing Strauss to hang back and swat it away through midwicket for a boundary
Steve Pomeroy is our geek du jour. It's official. "In response to the (much) earlier question about dismissals involving three players with the same first name ..." he drum-rolls. "England v New Zealand at Lord's, 1978, (Robert) Anderson c (Bob) Taylor b (Bob) Willis 1. And Robert=Bob more than Graeme=Graham." Spectacular. I sincerely hope that was from memory and not from hours of poring through the archives. But he's right you know. And Anderson never played again ...
16.4
Morkel to Strauss, no run, fuller, much fuller, this time tempting Strauss outside off and he leaves alone
16.5
Morkel to Strauss, no run, outside off stump again, ideal for Strauss, as he watches it go by
16.6
Morkel to Strauss, no run, action replay, round the wicket, outside off stump, left alone. Quiet start.
End of over 17 (4 runs) England 42/0
AJ Strauss 19* (46b 4x4) M Morkel 6-1-13-0
AN Cook 21* (56b 2x4) PL Harris 2-1-5-0
A confession from Steve: "Yes I have been on StatsGuru. Yes it is the first day back in work. And yes, there is no-one else here because of the snow." In other news, Dale Steyn, slightly disconcertingly for South Africa, is stretching the hamstring that kept him out of the first Test. Anyway here is Harris.
17.1
Harris to Cook, 2 runs, pitched up, Cook leans this confidently through the covers for a couple
17.2
Harris to Cook, FOUR, bosh! Full outside off, landing towards the rough, Cook doesn't want him to settle there so heaves it over midwicket for a boundary
17.3
Harris to Cook, no run, drags his length back, Cook prods this into the leg side
17.4
Harris to Cook, FOUR, oh my, very close! Smith brought deep square in a couple of yards, inviting Cook to go over him, Cook swishes hard at the ball, and it flies just over de Wet at deep square, and lands inside the boundary
17.5
Harris to Cook, 1 run, less incident here, clipping into the leg side for a single
17.6
Harris to Strauss, 1 run, nicely played, calmly turned, with the spin into the leg side
End of over 18 (12 runs) England 54/0
AJ Strauss 20* (47b 4x4) PL Harris 3-1-17-0
AN Cook 32* (61b 4x4) M Morkel 6-1-13-0
Well England look like they have decided Harris can't be allowed to settle, after he bowled that probing over before tea. Intriguing plot developing there. Now, after England did all they could to slow the game down earlier, they are being helped by a faulty sightsreen.
18.1
Morkel to Strauss, no run, good delivery, close to off stump, from that troubling round-the-wicket angle, and left alone
18.2
Morkel to Strauss, no run, good again, slightly fuller, Strauss is reluctant to get forward to Morkel's height, finds the edge but the softer ball and soft hands has it bouncing away to gully
18.3
Morkel to Strauss, no run, slightly wide of off stump and left alone again
18.4
Morkel to Strauss, no run, full, though not so much bounce this time, Strauss is more comfortable in defence this time
18.5
Morkel to Strauss, 1 run, full, angling in at the stumps, Strauss tries to turn this away and it comes off the inside edge down to fine leg
18.6
Morkel to Cook, no run, Cook hops back and defends this outside off stump, tidy over
End of over 19 (1 run) England 55/0
AN Cook 32* (62b 4x4) M Morkel 7-1-14-0
AJ Strauss 21* (52b 4x4) PL Harris 3-1-17-0
19.1
Harris to Strauss, no run, full and Strauss turns it away on to the leg side. Will Strauss attempt the big shot we saw from Cook
19.2
Harris to Strauss, no run, not this time, prodding forward and defending
19.3
Harris to Strauss, no run, plays back to this, coming off the wicket slowly and blocking it out into the off side
19.4
Harris to Strauss, 3 runs, thrown up wider and Strauss thrashes his arms through the ball off a big forward stride, didn't time it perfectly but placed it well
19.5
Harris to Cook, no run, well wide of off stump, Cook stretches right out to pad it away
19.6
Harris to Cook, no run, this is really wide of off stump, perhaps Harris is weary of getting close enough to allow Cook the big leg-side heave, it's left alone
End of over 20 (3 runs) England 58/0
AN Cook 32* (64b 4x4) PL Harris 4-1-20-0
AJ Strauss 24* (56b 4x4) M Morkel 7-1-14-0
20.1
Morkel to Strauss, no run, cracking fielding from Duminy at backward-point. Confident after his pre-declaration runs, he dives to collect a thrashed cut shot from Strauss to a short and wide ball from Morkel
20.2
Morkel to Strauss, no run, good come back, bounced on Strauss and he edges towards the slips but it fell short
20.3
Morkel to Strauss, FOUR, close this time, flashes past a diving third slip to the boundary
20.4
Morkel to Strauss, 1 run, clips this from a shorter length round the corner
20.5
Morkel to Cook, 1 run, good delivery on the stumps, Cook stands tall and clips it into space
20.6
Morkel to Strauss, no run, blocked back to the bowler
End of over 21 (6 runs) England 64/0
AJ Strauss 29* (61b 5x4) M Morkel 8-1-20-0
AN Cook 33* (65b 4x4) PL Harris 4-1-20-0
21.1
Harris to Cook, no run, Cook forward and defending
21.2
Harris to Cook, no run, red into the stumps, Cook makes some room and cuts it straight to point
21.3
Harris to Cook, no run, flighted and clipped into the leg side firmly
21.4
Harris to Cook, no run, no run, looped up nicely on the stumps, Cook strokes it confidently to mid wicket
21.5
Harris to Cook, no run, pitches outside off and spins back in from the rough, pushed towards mid on
21.6
Harris to Cook, no run, close again, Cook hanging back gets a toe-end on it and it goes through to Bouhcer
End of over 22 (maiden) England 64/0
AN Cook 33* (71b 4x4) PL Harris 5-2-20-0
AJ Strauss 29* (61b 5x4) M Morkel 8-1-20-0
22.1
Morkel to Strauss, no run, fuller and pushed calmly down to mid on
22.2
Morkel to Strauss, 1 run, good shot, used the angle from round the wicket, turned it away down to Steyn at fine leg for a single
22.3
Morkel to Cook, no run, round the wicket at Cook, he gets back on his crease and defends into the leg side
22.4
Morkel to Cook, no run, pitched up outside off stump, Cook doesn't play, but the ball climbs through to Boucher taking it above his head
22.5
Morkel to Cook, FOUR, speared down the leg side, Cook tickles it on its way, and it flies to the fine leg boundary
22.6
Morkel to Cook, no run, readjusts back to a fuller length on off stump, Cook drags himself forward to defend
End of over 23 (5 runs) England 69/0
AN Cook 37* (75b 5x4) M Morkel 9-1-25-0
AJ Strauss 30* (63b 5x4) PL Harris 5-2-20-0
"I may be even geekier than Steve Pomeroy in remembering watching that very dismissal at Lords in 1978," says Howard Walwyn. "The commentator was Jim Laker and he marked the dismissal with the words "Another sad, sad failure for Robert Anderson" - must get out." Yes, yes you must ...
23.1
Harris to Strauss, no run, flighted outside off, Strauss gets well forward and across, defending with low hands
23.2
Harris to Strauss, no run, couple of steps down the wicket, clipped firmly, but straight to the midwicket fielder
23.3
Harris to Strauss, no run, driven into the cover region for no run
23.4
Harris to Strauss, no run, oh dear, pitches in the rough, stops on the wicket a touch and Strauss pushes at it, in the air, past a diving short leg, that was tantalising
23.5
Harris to Strauss, no run, couple of skips down the wicket, trying to break up his length, defends
23.6
Harris to Strauss, FOUR, woosh! Big heave over midwicket from outside off, Strauss on the sweeping action plays it well
Here is Andrew Miller, while I go to fetch some tea.
End of over 24 (4 runs) England 73/0
AJ Strauss 34* (69b 6x4) PL Harris 6-2-24-0
AN Cook 37* (75b 5x4) M Morkel 9-1-25-0
24.1
Steyn to Cook, no run, outside off stump, no stroke offered
24.2
Steyn to Cook, no run, in the channel outside off once more, more watchfulness
24.3
Steyn to Cook, FOUR, drops short, only a fraction, and Cook is onto that in a flash, hoisted through midwicket, and that's four more very comfortable runs
24.4
Steyn to Cook, 3 runs, pushed onto the back foot, a gentle defensive nudge but that is timed beautifully. A long chase for cover, and the runs keep coming
24.5
Steyn to Strauss, no run, short, and Strauss is nobbled by that one. Literally. That'll smart
24.6
Steyn to Strauss, no run, crunching cut shot, but straight at the fielder. A foot either side and that was four runs
This is starting to get really exceptionally intriguing. There's still an entire session to be played out tonight ...
End of over 25 (7 runs) England 80/0
AJ Strauss 34* (71b 6x4) DW Steyn 7-1-24-0
AN Cook 44* (79b 6x4) PL Harris 6-2-24-0
Harris from over the wicket
25.1
Harris to Cook, 1 run, flicked from outside off, past short leg
Point comes out to reinforce the leg side
25.2
Harris to Strauss, no run, "well bowled, 'Arry," says Boucher. And it was
25.3
Harris to Strauss, 1 run, Strauss advances again, he's not afraid of sharp spin from Harris, and flicks gently to midwicket
25.4
Harris to Cook, no run, another leg-side flick, this time from the crease
25.5
Harris to Cook, no run, lobbed up in the air to Amla under the lid, looked like bat onto pad at first, but none of the former. The crowd was excited
25.6
Harris to Cook, no run, that was sharpish from Harris, tweaking into Cook's pads, but no danger
"At their current run rate, England should win with 5 balls to spare," says Tim Hughes, and I'm going to have to take his word for it, because I don't have time or the brain for such mental arithmetic
End of over 26 (2 runs) England 82/0
AN Cook 45* (83b 6x4) PL Harris 7-2-26-0
AJ Strauss 35* (73b 6x4) DW Steyn 7-1-24-0
26.1
Steyn to Strauss, no run, pushed back into the crease and defended
26.2
Steyn to Strauss, no run, blocked with a stiff high elbow, deflected out to backward square
26.3
Steyn to Strauss, no run, on the pads, tucked to short leg
Still two slips and a gully, and a short cover
