Charl Langeveldt and Makhaya Ntini tore through the England batting line-up before lunch on the third day of the third Castle Lager/MTN Test at Newlands on Tuesday, to have England all out for 163, for a first-innings deficit of 278.
England resumed play on their overnight score of 95 for the loss of four wickets. Night watchman Matthew Hoggard snicked a ball from Ntini to Graeme Smith at first slip and was out for one.
His departure brought Andrew Flintoff, regarded as the best all-rounder in the world at present, to the crease, but Flintoff never looked comfortable, and lasted just 13 minutes before he was caught by Herschelle Gibbs off Ntini for 12.
Langeveldt, bowling with a broken left hand, took the wickets of Geraint Jones (13), Graham Thorpe (12), Simon Jones (0) and Steve Harmison (0) to record a ”five-for” in his debut Test match.
Big England spinner Ashley Giles was the only one to make any meaningful runs, scoring an undefeated 31 off 34 balls.
Although England needed another 79 runs to avoid the follow-on, Smith decided not to enforce it, and South Africa will bat after lunch. — Sapa