Late wickets slow England

14 April 2012
CLOSE OF PLAY: England 197-3
South Africa 342 all out

Mark Butcher and Marcus Trescothick batted England into a promising position on day two of the fourth npower Test against South Africa at Headingley.

The second-wicket pair shared a stand of 137, Butcher contributing 77 and Trescothick 59 to a first-innings total of 197 for three by stumps in reply to the tourists' 342.

Butcher hit 11 fours from 115 balls and Trescothick nine from 126 on a day shorn of 16 overs by bad light.

However, both were out shortly before close of play as Jacques Kallis struck twice to halt the home team's charge.

The bowler first removed Trescothick, diving to his right to make an athletic catch from a straight drive, then dismissed Butcher with an outswinging delivery that the batsman nicked behind to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.

Michael Vaughan's recent sequence of bad luck continued with another freak dismissal.

Since taking over as captain of England's Test and one-day teams this summer from Nasser Hussain, Vaughan has struggled for form and entered his home ground Test desperate to complete a set of centuries on the established domestic Test venues.

But, having been bowled off his thigh pad earlier this summer against Zimbabwe at Lord's, Vaughan added another strange dismissal to his collection today when he was bowled by seamer Makhaya Ntini for 15.

Pushing forward defensively Vaughan looked bemused after the ball span back and hit his stumps to leave England on a shaky 27 for one after South Africa had completed their comeback from 21 for four on the opening day to reach 342.

Ntini's earlier breakthrough had lifted South Africa spirits after they had spent most of the opening session on the second day once again frustrating England's efforts to bring a swift halt to their first innings.

The tourists had resumed on 260 for seven having been reeling on 21 for four early on the first day and added a further 82 runs with their lower order continuing the impressive fightback spearheaded by Gary Kirsten.

The South African left-hander had resumed unbeaten on 109 having shared a crucial 118-run eighth wicket stand with debutant Zondeki, who had already scored a career-best 50, and they continued that partnership for a further 13 overs before England made the breakthrough.

Lancashire seamer James Anderson finally broke their stand when Zondeki drove and gave Mark Butcher a head-high catch at wide third slip after they had added 150, a South African eighth wicket record against England and equalled the South African all time record for that wicket.

England were thwarted in their hopes of wrapping the rest of the innings up quickly, though, with Ntini arriving at the crease and adopting an aggressive policy to compliment Kirsten's more conservative approach.

Ntini's influence perhaps rubbed off on Kirsten, who attempted a rare attacking stroke seven overs later and mis-timed an attempted drive down the ground off Kabir Ali which looped up to Martin Bicknell at mid-on.

Four overs later James Kirtley claimed the last wicket when Dewald Pretorius was caught behind, but South Africa's last three wickets had added a crucial 200 runs to guide them to a competitive total.

England had one over to survive before lunch which openers Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick handled successfully by hitting 11 runs off Pretorius but only an hour after the interval the captain's run of bad luck continued to put the pressure back onto his team.

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