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Tea England 315 and 221 for 7 (Prior 35*, Swann 12*) need 125 more runs to beat South Africa 309 and 351
Jonathan Trott recovered from his part in James Taylor's run out to reach a half-century © Getty Images
The verve of Jonny Bairstow showed England the route to an unlikely victory on the final day of the third Test as they chased a target of 346, but it was an overgrown path strewn with pitfalls, signposted but never before safely negotiated and at tea South Africa's momentous series victory was a whisker away. England needed 125 from 33 overs with three wickets left and the new ball 10 overs away.
Bairstow's ebullience brought him 54 from 47 balls before Imran Tahir, bowling his legspin around the wicket into the rough, scuttled one through his defences three overs into the afternoon session as he trusted to the back foot. It was an enterprising innings from a batsman who looked at a world-class South Africa attack, and what history insisted was an all-too impossible target, and looked it squarely in the eye. England, on the evidence of this Test, have uncovered a gem.
At the very least, as England pursued a fourth-innings target of a magnitude that they have never achieved in their Test history, Bairstow ensured that they would pursue it with spirit. His example was aped by Stuart Broad, who made 37 from 42 balls as he dominated a sixth-wicket stand with Matt Prior.
Broad was in jaunty, stand-and-deliver mode, a suitable approach considering his long-standing run of failures playing in more orthodox style, nothing better than when he pulled Dale Steyn into the grandstand for six. Another hook, an excellent bouncer delivered by Jacques Kallis in the penultimate over before tea, brought his downfall as Hashim Amla took an assured catch at long leg.
Jonathan Trott, the scorecard will confirm, was the mainstay of England's subjugated top order, making 63 from 159 balls, an innings ended by Steyn in mid-afternoon, courtesy of a fast catch, diving to his right at second slip, by the evergreen Kallis.
Until he surfed on Bairstow's wave, Trott was in danger of burying ever deeper into his own brain. He was an out-of-sorts batsmen forced to play out well of his comfort zone, neither conveying security nor maintaining a decent strike rate, giving the impression of attacking zeal without ever moving the score along, playing and missing regularly.
Any batsman had a right to struggle against an attack of high quality in what, while the ball retained its hardness, were favourable bowling conditions. South Africa had had his measure throughout the series and it showed. But his resolve was recalibrated by the ambition of his youthful partner and life outside his comfort zone seemed a life worth living, even if only for a while.
Trott was also stung forward by a mix-up that led to the run out of James Taylor. The demise of Taylor had been England's nadir, a dawdle for which Trott had to take the majority, if not all, the blame.
When Trott clipped Steyn wide of mid-on, and Amla chased towards long on, the lack of running urgency suggested that both batsmen had settled for an easy three. In fact, were it not for an outfield slowed by repairs after the Olympics archery, it would have been four. The final arrow was about to plunge deep into England's ambitions that they might square the series.
Steyn, the bowler, was so convinced all meaningful action was complete that he collected his sun hat from the umpire at the end of the over before the call of "over." But Trott turned, presumably largely for show, in invitation of a fourth. Taylor, who was running to the danger end, accepted the invitation with alacrity only for Trott to inform him with turned back that he did not really mean it after all. Taylor was stranded and Steyn's throw to the wicketkeeper completed the run out.
As Trott reached his fifty one sensed, looking at the England balcony, that some joker had reminded Taylor to join the smiles and applause, if only for the sake of the TV cameras.
For England to be 16 for 2 overnight off 13 overs was no sort of platform. Once Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook had been dismissed, Trott and Ian Bell just lived for survival in expectation of a more comfortable morning. But the morning was overcast and the ball hooped around for every South Africa pace bowler in turn. Instead of easing into the task, they awoke with a start, unable to cope, shocked into action as if responding to an unwanted alarm call after a disturbed night.
Bell managed to add only a single, taking his score to 4 from 37 balls before he drove without conviction at Philander and was caught by Graeme Smith at first slip, South Africa's captain needing two attempts to clamp giant hands around the ball.
When Taylor became the fourth England batsman to fall, England had scrambled 29 in 13 overs, aware of the target but unable to develop any coherent attempt about how to approach it. In contrast to Bairstow, Taylor, in only his second Test, could hope only for survival. His move to Trent Bridge has given him necessary exposure against the moving ball, but rarely to the standards that he faced here.
The run-out mishap shook Trott into life. He drove Kallis sweetly to the cover boundary, was dropped in the same over, on 33, by Jacques Rudolph at third slip and then drew heart as Bairstow carried the fight, driving Steyn, pulling Morne Morkel and greeting Tahir's arrival with two boundaries in an over.
England's spirit persisted as they added 100 between lunch and tea, with Prior seeking to be around for the business end of the day while Broad and Graeme Swann, in a glimpse before tea, hit around him, but South Africa's bowling plans, which have worked throughout the series, still looked strong.
Jonathan Trott recovered from his part in James Taylor's run out to reach a half-century © Getty Images
The verve of Jonny Bairstow showed England the route to an unlikely victory on the final day of the third Test as they chased a target of 346, but it was an overgrown path strewn with pitfalls, signposted but never before safely negotiated and at tea South Africa's momentous series victory was a whisker away. England needed 125 from 33 overs with three wickets left and the new ball 10 overs away.
Bairstow's ebullience brought him 54 from 47 balls before Imran Tahir, bowling his legspin around the wicket into the rough, scuttled one through his defences three overs into the afternoon session as he trusted to the back foot. It was an enterprising innings from a batsman who looked at a world-class South Africa attack, and what history insisted was an all-too impossible target, and looked it squarely in the eye. England, on the evidence of this Test, have uncovered a gem.
At the very least, as England pursued a fourth-innings target of a magnitude that they have never achieved in their Test history, Bairstow ensured that they would pursue it with spirit. His example was aped by Stuart Broad, who made 37 from 42 balls as he dominated a sixth-wicket stand with Matt Prior.
Broad was in jaunty, stand-and-deliver mode, a suitable approach considering his long-standing run of failures playing in more orthodox style, nothing better than when he pulled Dale Steyn into the grandstand for six. Another hook, an excellent bouncer delivered by Jacques Kallis in the penultimate over before tea, brought his downfall as Hashim Amla took an assured catch at long leg.
Jonathan Trott, the scorecard will confirm, was the mainstay of England's subjugated top order, making 63 from 159 balls, an innings ended by Steyn in mid-afternoon, courtesy of a fast catch, diving to his right at second slip, by the evergreen Kallis.
Until he surfed on Bairstow's wave, Trott was in danger of burying ever deeper into his own brain. He was an out-of-sorts batsmen forced to play out well of his comfort zone, neither conveying security nor maintaining a decent strike rate, giving the impression of attacking zeal without ever moving the score along, playing and missing regularly.
Any batsman had a right to struggle against an attack of high quality in what, while the ball retained its hardness, were favourable bowling conditions. South Africa had had his measure throughout the series and it showed. But his resolve was recalibrated by the ambition of his youthful partner and life outside his comfort zone seemed a life worth living, even if only for a while.
Trott was also stung forward by a mix-up that led to the run out of James Taylor. The demise of Taylor had been England's nadir, a dawdle for which Trott had to take the majority, if not all, the blame.
When Trott clipped Steyn wide of mid-on, and Amla chased towards long on, the lack of running urgency suggested that both batsmen had settled for an easy three. In fact, were it not for an outfield slowed by repairs after the Olympics archery, it would have been four. The final arrow was about to plunge deep into England's ambitions that they might square the series.
Steyn, the bowler, was so convinced all meaningful action was complete that he collected his sun hat from the umpire at the end of the over before the call of "over." But Trott turned, presumably largely for show, in invitation of a fourth. Taylor, who was running to the danger end, accepted the invitation with alacrity only for Trott to inform him with turned back that he did not really mean it after all. Taylor was stranded and Steyn's throw to the wicketkeeper completed the run out.
As Trott reached his fifty one sensed, looking at the England balcony, that some joker had reminded Taylor to join the smiles and applause, if only for the sake of the TV cameras.
For England to be 16 for 2 overnight off 13 overs was no sort of platform. Once Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook had been dismissed, Trott and Ian Bell just lived for survival in expectation of a more comfortable morning. But the morning was overcast and the ball hooped around for every South Africa pace bowler in turn. Instead of easing into the task, they awoke with a start, unable to cope, shocked into action as if responding to an unwanted alarm call after a disturbed night.
Bell managed to add only a single, taking his score to 4 from 37 balls before he drove without conviction at Philander and was caught by Graeme Smith at first slip, South Africa's captain needing two attempts to clamp giant hands around the ball.
When Taylor became the fourth England batsman to fall, England had scrambled 29 in 13 overs, aware of the target but unable to develop any coherent attempt about how to approach it. In contrast to Bairstow, Taylor, in only his second Test, could hope only for survival. His move to Trent Bridge has given him necessary exposure against the moving ball, but rarely to the standards that he faced here.
The run-out mishap shook Trott into life. He drove Kallis sweetly to the cover boundary, was dropped in the same over, on 33, by Jacques Rudolph at third slip and then drew heart as Bairstow carried the fight, driving Steyn, pulling Morne Morkel and greeting Tahir's arrival with two boundaries in an over.
England's spirit persisted as they added 100 between lunch and tea, with Prior seeking to be around for the business end of the day while Broad and Graeme Swann, in a glimpse before tea, hit around him, but South Africa's bowling plans, which have worked throughout the series, still looked strong.