England fast bowler Steven Finn captured three wickets in seven balls to help reduce South Africa to 65 for four at lunch on the first day of the third and final Test at Lord’s yesterday.
Captain Graeme Smith (14), fellow-opener Alviro Petersen (22), Hashim Amla (13) and Jacques Kallis (3) all departed before the interval after South Africa had won the toss and opted to bat.
England need to win to square the series and remain top of the world rankings.
Smith was first to go when James Anderson came around the wicket to the left-hander for the first time. The batsman stabbed at a delivery wide of the off-stump, the bat hit the ground and umpire Kumar Dhamasena gave him not out after a vocal appeal.
England immediately appealed and replays showed Smith had edged the ball as well as hitting the ground and South Africa were 22 for one after the original decision was overturned.
Petersen was stuck on 12 for 16 balls and had three LBW appeals against him turned down. England reviewed one, but replays suggested the ball was going over the top of the stumps.
The batsman responded by clipping Finn for consecutive boundaries through fine-leg and mid-wicket.
Petersen became the first of Finn’s victims when he gloved a delivery down the leg side. Amla was bowled three balls later through the gate as the ball cut back down the infamous Lord’s slope.
The biggest talking point of the morning was the loss of Kallis, second on the all-time list of Test century scorers.
Kallis gave wicketkeeper Matt Prior his third catch after a deflection off his glove after Dharmasena initially rejected the appeal.
England called for a review and replays seemed to show that the ball had clipped Kallis’ bottom glove, but only when his hand had left the bat handle.
Third umpire Rod Tucker over-ruled the original decision and Kallis walked off, shaking his head in annoyance.
England, who had dropped their most dynamic batsman Kevin Pietersen after he fell out with players and management, selected off-spinner Graeme Swann in place of Tim Bresnan, giving Finn another chance on his home ground.
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