South Africa were set 281 to win on the fourth day of the third Test after Paul Collingwood and Ryan Sidebottom added a crucial 65 runs for England’s eighth wicket yesterday.
South Africa were 11 for no wicket at lunch.
Collingwood took his overnight score of 101 to 135 before he was last man out, caught behind off Morne Morkel, who took three of the England wickets to fall to finish with four for 97.
PHOTO: AP
Starting the day with the second new ball, South Africa struck with the second delivery when Morkel bowled Tim Ambrose without addition to the overnight total of 297 for six.
Collingwood had only added two runs when he was lucky to survive a confident appeal for leg before wicket by Morkel, but he and Sidebottom settled in to a productive partnership.
Sidebottom got the benefit of the doubt when he edged Jacques Kallis to A.B. de Villiers at second slip when he had 14.
Television umpire Ian Gould decided there was a possibility the ball had touched the ground as it was grasped by De Villiers.
Sidebottom made 22 before he was caught at short leg off his glove when he got into a tangle against a short ball from Morkel, who in between taking wickets bowled an assortment of wides and loose deliveries.
The end came quickly with James Anderson bowled off an inside edge by Kallis and Collingwood edging an attempted cut against Morkel to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.
Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie started the final innings, with their team seeking to clinch the four-match series, which South Africa lead 1-0.
They needed to achieve the highest successful fourth innings run chase in any Test at Edgbaston and the fourth highest by South Africa.
On Friday, Collingwood overcame what he admitted was huge pressure as he and Kevin Pietersen gave England a chance of a come-from-behind victory on the third day.
Collingwood capped a return to form in glorious fashion by reaching his sixth Test century with a six off left-arm spinner Paul Harris. Pietersen made 94 before falling when he tried to hit a six off Harris.
“There was lots of pressure,” said Collingwood, who was in danger of being dropped after a summer of poor performances. “It’s not pressure so much from the outside as knowing that you have to contribute or you are letting the team down. Today was very special, everything went my way and it’s a day I won’t forget. It’s been tough over the past couple of months.”
Pietersen and Collingwood brought England back into the game in thrilling style with a fifth wicket stand of 115 off 138 balls, but when Andrew Flintoff was out four balls after Pietersen it seemed South Africa were on their way to victory.
But Collingwood and Tim Ambrose added an unbeaten 76 against lackluster bowling to raise English hopes of a win which would level the series with one match to play.
After a watchful start, Pietersen was looking in total command when he twice in the space of three balls reverse-pulled Harris for boundaries. At that stage the South African bowlers were looking ineffectual in the best batting conditions of the match, with the sun shining and the ball not deviating through the air or off an easy-paced pitch.
But Pietersen was out to the first ball of Harris’ next over when he danced down the pitch. He mistimed the ball and was caught by de Villiers three-quarters of the way to the long-on boundary. Pietersen batted for 186 minutes, faced 136 balls and hit 13 fours.
Four balls later Flintoff was caught off bat and pad at short leg off Harris and South Africa were on top again. Collingwood, who had reached his half-century off 61 balls, batted cautiously for a period, but with Ambrose proving a solid partner he lifted the tempo toward the close to notch his century off 133 deliveries with 14 fours and a six.
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