Thorpe shows steel

Even so, England's fightback was under fresh attack when Thorpe stepped into the breach this morning.

The 35-year-old looked fortunate to survive a desperately tight lbw verdict this morning soon after South Africa had ended Strauss's masterly innings and swiftly removed Vaughan for minimal cost. Then he saw county colleague Mark Butcher fall by the wayside all too cheaply as England dipped from a high point of 293 for one to a less cheery 314 for four.

That gave them a lead of 121. But, with the best part of two days play remaining at that stage, Vaughan's men urgently needed another major stand if the epic 273-run partnership between Strauss and Trescothick was not to be wasted.

Thorpe had made only a single when Ausssie umpire Simon Taufel gave him the benefit of the doubt after he was hit on the pad by Jacques Kallis. The ball might have been a fraction high of off stump. But no-one could have complained if the decision had gone the bowler's way.

Instead, Thorpe dug himself into yet another crucial innings for his country and, with Flintoff 's increasingly belligerent support, the immediate danger passed.

First they tucked into left-arm spinner Nicky Boje, then Dale Steyn was pulled and cut out of the attack. But it was when Flintoff drove Shaun Pollock back over his head for six that the Barmy Army - if not yet the visitors' dressing room - began to think out loud about an away win.

Thorpe continued on his careful way. Flintoff, having reined himself in for long enough, responded to being beaten twice in succession by pulling and flicking the largely luckless Ntini over the rope at midwicket. Suddenly England were past 400 and making progress in leaps and bounds.

Flintoff 's unexpected removal - edging his cut against Graeme Smith's occasional off-spin - came as a blow but showed few signs of losing concentration. England's increasingly happy state of affairs had seemed highly unlikely this morning when Strauss (136), Vaughan (10) and Butcher (13) departed inside 13 overs.

Strauss began the day needing another 33 runs to reach 1,000 in Test cricket and become the third quickest England player to that landmark, in terms of innings.

In fact, he added just four more to the team's total before Ntini gained deserved reward for last night's hostility and this morning's perseverance.

Ntini had Strauss dropped, low down at third slip, by Martin van Jaarsveld immediately after Trescothick's dismissal yesterday.

This time, though, the same fielder pouched a comfortable, chest-high chance after Strauss had snicked his attempted drive at a ball angled across him.

That put a spring in South Africa's step all right and was a timely reminder that England, for all the outstanding work of their openers yesterday, had only done half a job in this second innings.

The visitors' middle-order has looked brittle since the start of the tour and, even here with 300 on the board, no meter was needed to detect rising pressure.

Butcher somehow survived four torrid overs against the second new ball last night.

But, no matter what the hour, these are difficult times for England's No3, who can feel the heat of competition close behind him.

Unusually, Pollock helped to ease the tension a smidgeon. First he invited Butcher to unfurl his favourite cut shot, then South Africa's premier paceman gave him a freebie four with an overthrow that cleared keeper Abraham de Villiers by a yard.

That should have helped to settle the Surrey man. If it did, the loss of Vaughan put him right back on edge.

Two innings in the first test brought England's captain only 25 runs and he contributed just 18 to the Boxing Day debacle of 139 all out.

This time, Vaughan could not