Sat, Aug 02, 2008 page18

• Flintoff leads England fightback

  SAFFERS SUFFER Jacques Kallis said Andrew Flintoff `bowled a fantastic spell’ after the England all-rounder ignited a previously subdued crowd at Edgbaston

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  An inspired Andrew Flintoff became the 12th England player to take 200 test wickets as South Africa reached 256 for six at stumps on the second day of the third Test at Edgbaston on Thursday.
  
  

  Flintoff, trying to help England defend their below-par total of 231, produced a hostile spell of bowling after tea that culminated with the wicket of Jacques Kallis.
  
  

  South Africa, though, closed with a lead of 25 runs when bad light stopped play with the ever-reliable Ashwell Prince 37 not out and Mark Boucher on 11.
  
  

  

  England’s Andrew Flintoff celebrates taking the wicket of South African batsman AB De Villiers during the third Test in Birmingham, England, on Thursday.

  PHOTO: AP

  Flintoff trapped Neil McKenzie lbw for 72 to become the 10th player to claim 200 test wickets and score 3,000 Test runs, following the likes of Ian Botham, Garfield Sobers, Kapil Dev and Imran Khan.
  
  

  But his most prized wicket of the day, which stirred a sparse crowd that sat through the gloomy and damp weather, was that of Kallis, who made 64 for his first half-century of the series.
  
  

  Kallis was fortunate to survive an lbw appeal when on 55 to a Flintoff yorker but Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar gave him not out, much to the bowler’s bemusement.
  
  

  Flintoff continued to express his displeasure to Dar during the following over while fielding at square leg.
  
  

  Kallis, the eighth-highest scoring Test batsman of all time, appeared helpless when an angry Flintoff sought revenge for the umpiring error. Kallis had been shaken by short deliveries, beaten by out-swing and finally lost his off stump after being squared up by another hostile ball that swung late.
  
  

  The battle between Kallis and Flintoff was reminiscent to the famous duel between former England opener Mike Atherton and South African fast bowler Allan Donald in 1998.
  
  

  The duel with Kallis ignited a crowd which for most of the two days had been mainly quiet as they watched England struggling.
  
  

  “It was an important hour for us,” Flintoff said. “We’re right back in it, we’ve just got to go hard again in the morning.”
  
  

  Kallis said Flintoff “bowled a fantastic spell” but he felt South Africa were still in a strong position.
  
  

  “With the amount of movement there still is off the wicket it makes life tough for the batsmen. I think there is going to movement throughout the game,” he said.
  
  

  “If we can get a hundred ahead hopefully our bowlers can get the ball in the right areas like Fred [Flintoff] did,” Kallis said.
  
  

  AB de Villiers also perished in that Flintoff spell, which lasted 10 overs either side of tea, when top-edging a hook shot to Ryan Sidebottom at fine leg.
  
  

  Mark Boucher then ducked to avoid his first ball when a swinging yorker narrowly missed his off stump.
  
  

  Earlier, night-watchman Paul Harris (19), who shared a second-wicket stand of 77 with McKenzie, frustrated England for 89 minutes until he departed before lunch to a catch at third slip by Alastair Cook off the bowling of Sidebottom.
  
  

  After McKenzie was dropped by Paul Collingwood at second slip, James Anderson gave England a fillip by dismissing Hashim Amla for nine with a diving one-handed catch off his own bowling.
  
  

  There were 25 overs lost to the weather in the day. South Africa are 1-0 up in the four-match series.
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