2nd Test (Day-4): England Vs. South Africa - - Graeme Swann And Stuart Broad Wreck Through South African Batting in Second Innings

A incredible crumple by South Africa, who fell down from 27 for no wicket to 50 for six in 12 overs on a spotless pitch, took England on the edge of victory in the second Test with one day game in the bag. It emerges that only more lost time can save South Africa, who were extremely thankful when the umpires took the players off at 4.25pm local time due to insufficient light. Play was called off half an hour later.

Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad claimed three wickets apiece in high-class spells, but they were assisted by the sort of nervous batting not usually associated with South Africa. Facing a first innings deficit of 232, they succumbed dismally to "scoreboard pressure", reduced to tentative strokes or none at all in the case of three batsmen.

South Africa were listing badly after losing two wickets before tea, but within half an hour of the break, they were damaged almost beyond repair. Their demise began when Jacques Kallis, badly misjudging a ball from Broad too close to his wicket to leave, looked aghast as it darted back to hit the top of off stump.

If that dismissal stunned South Africa, the real body blow came two Broad overs later when he took wickets off successive balls. First, AB de Villiers, who had just survived a referred lbw appeal from Swann, made the same error as Kallis, offering no shot to a breakback that flicked the flap of his back pad. Given out by Amish Saheba, the umpire, he asked for a review but replays showed the ball was clipping the top of off stump.

The triumvirate of dismissals to no shots was completed when JP Duminy, trying to take his bat out of the way of a ball moving across him, failed to do so and succeeded in playing on. Broad was engulfed by jubilant team-mates, while the Barmy Army, now battalion-strength after resembling a platoon in the first Test, celebrated incredulously.

There was more drama to come. Graeme Smith, who would have been run out for the second time in the match had Luke Wright's throw from cover not narrowly missed, prodded across Swann's arm ball to be leg before. He referred the decision, but replays showed the ball was clipping the outside of leg stump. If it was a close call, England were fortunate both leg-befores were given out. If the appeals had been rejected by the onfield umpire and a review requested, both batsmen would have been reprieved since less than 50 per cent of the ball was hitting the wicket.

Initially, the home side had little difficulty against England's seamers, but Swann's trickery brought the breakthroughs Andrew Strauss had been looking for.

Coming round the wicket, Swann struck with his second ball, deceiving Prince with one that went straight on to find an inside edge on to his pad. Ian Bell took a superb one-handed catch low to his right at silly point.

Then, just when minds were straying to thoughts of tea, Swann offered up a well-flighted off-break to Amla wide of off stump. Amla accepted the bait, driving a little too loosely to leave his gate open. The ball turned enough to dart through it, hitting off stump. England's players mobbed Swann after what proved the last ball of the session.

Earlier, some welcome acceleration after lunch from England had brought them 62 runs in 50 minutes. Strauss declared at nine down with a lead of 232. Bell's dismissal for an outstanding 141 from 227 balls prompted England's decision, leaving them with an hour to bowl at South Africa before tea.

Broad, who played with more intent after the break, carting Paul Harris over mid-wicket for six, was out for 20 from 59 balls, caught at slip off Duminy to give the part-timer his best figures in Test cricket. Swann wasted no time in attacking the bowling, helping himself to 22 from only 14 balls, one of which was a pulled six off Makhaya Ntini.

Taking the third new ball worked out well for South Africa. Swann immediately fell, miscuing to mid-on, and Bell, bottom-edging a wide one, was caught behind. The Warwickshire batsman's stay lasted five hours and 13 minutes, and included ten fours and a six off Harris. Paul Collingwood, who dislocated his left index finger in fielding practice before play, was unable to take the field for South Africa's second innings. X-rays revealed no fracture.

Bell completed his first hundred for 11 Tests in an excellent first session for England, scoring 127 in the two and a half hours before lunch, with play having once again started at 9.30am to make up lost time. It was Bell's ninth Test hundred, his last having come in July 2008 when he made 199 against South Africa at Lord's.

Bell and Matt Prior extended their sixth wicket stand to 112 in 32 overs until the England wicketkeeper chopped Duminy on to his stumps. Despite facing less of the strike, Prior had scored more than 50 per cent of the partnership's runs, his fluent 60 taking him only 81 balls. He had reached his fifty with a fine swept six off Duminy.

The tone for the monring was set when Bell leg-glanced the very first ball of the day, bowled by Dale Steyn, for four. On-driving the same bowler for three, he continued to score freely, while Prior, who began with a streaky four off Steyn, was fortunate to survive a half-chance to gulley off Ntini when on 23. Bell reached what was his fifth Test hundred batting at No 6 from 172 balls when he went down the pitch to Harris and hit him over the top for his eighth four.

After Prior's dismissal, England badly lost momentum. Instead of promoting the fast-scoring Swann, they sent in Broad, who scratched his way to ten not out from 51 balls. By lunch, the stand with Bell was worth 36 but it had used up 15 overs.