Andrew Flintoff took four wickets as England hauled themselves back into contention in the third Test against South Africa at Edgbaston.

The all-rounder uprooted Jacques Kallis' off stump for 64 before removing AB de Villiers late on to leave the tourists at 256-6 at stumps.

Flintoff had earlier dismissed opener Neil McKenzie for 72, who put on 77 runs with William to visit special forces ...
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Taylor knock keeps England at bay ... nightwatchman Paul Harris.

Ashwell Prince remains unbeaten on 37 alongside Mark Boucher on 11.

An enthralling day's play ended in complete contrast to how it began, with Flintoff bowling as menacingly as his fabled 2005 Ashes second innings spell against Australia at the same ground.

The Lancashire all-rounder ended Kallis' belligerent innings in the final hour of play with an unplayable outswinging yorker before dismissing AB de Villiers in his following over, resurrecting England's ailing hopes of a series-levelling victory.

But England will regret failing to utilise favourable weather conditions in the rain-delayed morning session.

The overcast - yet warm - weather should have given the three seamers enough encouragement to swing a 12-over old ball.

Instead, nightwatchman Harris and opener McKenzie were given ample opportunity to shoulder arms as the fast bowlers failed to adhere to the seamers' mantra of "hitting the top of off stump".

While he will never earn a comparison to Sachin Tendulkar, Harris' idiosyncratic batting technique was simple in its effectiveness - fend off straight deliveries and leave anything wide.

At the other end, McKenzie survived a close call with the score on 59 when he edged a probing Flintoff delivery on off stump to Andrew Strauss at first slip.

While the rest of the slip cordon celebrated, Strauss spread his arms to signify his uncertainty about whether the catch was taken cleanly, although McKenzie was set to walk.

And replays confirmed the ball just bounced a fraction of a second before it was cupped in the England opener's hands.

Harris' invaluable stand with McKenzie came to end when he edged Sidebottom to a grateful Alastair Cook at third slip, returning to the dressing room with 19 thoroughly frustrating runs to his name.

New man Hashim Amla - beaten by a brute of a delivery from the flame-haired left-armer with his second ball - brought up South Africa's 100 just before the lunch interval.

England's bowling deficiencies were exemplified by McKenzie's "wagon wheel" of runs, with the vast majority scored behind square, rather than straight.

And the home side's frustrations were further compounded when McKenzie was dropped by Paul Collingwood on 57 soon after lunch.

The opener edged Flintoff to second slip, where England's one-day captain fumbled a low, diving catch to his right, adding yet more misery to his already forgettable first innings contribution.

But a moment of brilliance brought the crowd to their feet when a one-handed running catch from James Anderson ended Amla's stay for nine.

Like Pietersen on Wednesday, Amla edged on to his pads, from where the ball looped up in the air long enough for Anderson's outstretched left hand to gather the ball.

The dismissal brought an abrupt turn in England's fortunes as the ball suddenly began to swing while extra pace was generated by the seamers.

And the intensity duly reaped a deserved reward when Flintoff trapped the obdurate McKenzie lbw with a ball which would have clattered into his middle and off stump.

The wicket was the all-rounder's 200th Test dismissal - although only his 193rd for England as seven came in the 2005 one-off Super Series Test in Sydney.

With Kallis struggling for runs from his three previous innings in the series, England attempted to seize the initiative and expose South Africa's lower middle order.

But, despite an uncomfortable first couple of overs, the 32-year-old began to impose his authority with a series of assured cover drives and leg glances through mid-wicket, a worrying sign for the beleaguered Michael Vaughan.

The England captain had stated before he match that Monty Panesar would feature prominently on a dry surface, but ignored his only frontline spinner until the 51st over.

But there was little turn to concern Kallis, ably assisted by the doughty, in-form Prince.

The left-hander, centurion at Lord's and Headingley, brought up the 50 partnership, standing tall to a short Panesar delivery and punching through the covers off his back foot for four.

Prince had been fortunate to find gaps between third slip and gully, twice scything an increasingly forlorn Flintoff for fours to third before the tea break.

A 90-minute rain delay at tea saw the players take the field at 1725 BST, although the interruption failed to disrupt the rhythm of the fifth wicket pair, both men dispatching Sidebottom for boundaries.

Kallis was afford no such luxuries the following over as he received an almighty examination from Flintoff, mixing exocet bouncers with fast yorkers, one of which rapped Kallis flush on the front foot on middle stump.

The resulting lbw appeal was deafening, but umpire somehow found doubt to turn down the shout, much to Flintoff's incredulity.

Still seething from the decision, Flintoff had his man back in the pavilion with a perfect outswinging yorker, uprooting Kallis' off stump and ending a dangerous innings as well as a promising 91-run fifth-wicket stand.

South Africa drew level with England's first innings score courtesy of four leg byes off De Villiers' pads.

But the Headingley centurion was back in the pavilion in Flintoff's following over, top-edging an attempted pull off a short delivery into the hands of Sidebottom at fine leg.

With a pumped-up Flintoff on song, Prince and Boucher gratefully accepted the umpires' offer for bad light to set up an intriguing third day's play on Friday.

(BBC)

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