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England regains control against a tough S Africa

England's Steve Harmison, second from left, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of South Africa's Herschell Gibb for 19 on the 2nd day of the Third Test Match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England, Friday. PHOTO: AFP

England dismissed South Africa's record-breaking batsman Graeme Smith cheaply for the first time in the series Friday to take control of the third cricket test at Trent Bridge.

After England made 445 runs in its first innings, South Africa struggled to 84 for two by stumps on the second day, batting under pressure for the first time.

England dismissed openers, captain Smith for 35, and Herschelle Gibbs for 19 runs.

Jacques Rudolph and Jacques Kallis, on 11 runs apiece, will resume Saturday with a 361-run deficit and need to score 246 runs to avoid the follow-on.

Smith was dismissed with a hit-wicket to seam bowler Andrew Flintoff. He's only the third South African captain to be dismissed like that.

Just when Smith, 22, appeared to survive Flintoff's delivery, he trod on the stumps.

Smith's downfall came as relief to England after he had single-handedly destroyed the bowling in the first two tests. He scored 277 and 85 at Edgbaston and 259 at Lord's.

The opener took his series aggregate to a South African record 656 runs at an average of 164.

England bowlers and Flintoff in particular beat Smith more often in his 66-ball innings than they had done in his three previous three.

Smith's dismissal followed that of Gibbs, who played on to a Steve Harmison delivery after a 56-run opening stand.

With batting becoming increasingly difficult on a surface where the deliveries skidded and kept dangerously low, England was well placed to force a series-leveling win.

England more than made up for its sloppy batting at Lord's and fully vindicated skipper Michael Vaughan's decision to bat first after winning the toss on Thursday.

England was humbled by an innings and 92-runs in the second test after it was bowled out for 172 on the first day.

After Mark Butcher (106) and Nasser Hussain (116) had rescued the innings from an early disaster, debutant Ed Smith (64) and Alec Stewart (72) helped England prolong its first innings Friday.

England had resumed the day on 296 for three and lost four wickets for 88 runs, before Stewart wrested the momentum from South Africa in the company of the tailenders.

Dismissed for a second ball nought at Lord's, Stewart, 40, hit himself back to form with a series of boundaries against a tiring attack that had been on the field for five sessions.

Playing his last series before retiring from international cricket at the end of the season, Stewart reached his 45th half century in his 131st test.

Resuming on 370 for six after lunch, England lost Ashley Giles for 22 and debutant James Kirtley for one.

But Stewart found a willing partner in No. 10 Steve Harmison (14) and the two put on a 32-run stand. Stewart finally holed out to skipper Graeme Smith in the deep off leftarm spinner Paul Adams.

Medium paceman Andrew Hall returned 3-88 while there were two wickets apiece to seamers Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini and Paul Adams.

South Africa claimed three wickets in the morning session, but not before Hussain and Smith had extended their overnight fourth-wicket stand to 104 runs.

Andrew Flintoff, who scored 142 runs in the innings and 92-run defeat at Lord's in the last test, was dismissed for nought.

Hussain's hundred, the 100th by England against South Africa, included 18 fours and was scored off 251 balls. A Shaun Pollock delivery kept low to trap Hussain leg before wicket. Smith, who replaced Anthony McGrath at No. 5 in one of England's two changes after the second test, batted fluently to hit 11 fours off 115 balls.
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