Leeds (England), Aug 2: England claimed the key wickets of Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis in the afternoon session on the opening day of the second test to restrict South Africa to 163-3 at tea on Thursday.
England dragged itself back into the contest after South Africa went to lunch at Headingley on 84-0 when Tim Bresnan had Smith caught for 52 by Ian Bell at backward square leg to make it 120-1.
Hashim Amla, who made a South African record 311 not out in the first test, was run out for 9 four overs later with 12 runs added to the total following a brilliant throw from Bresnan in the outfield.
James Anderson had Jacques Kallis caught at slip by Alastair Cook for 19 with the total on 157 before rain prematurely ended the session.
Alviro Petersen is unbeaten on 76, while AB de Villiers is 4 not out.
Anderson claimed 1-39 from 16 overs, while Bresnan took 1-41 from 11 overs.
A major talking point came in the 12th over of the day when Smith edged to Andrew Strauss at first slip, only for the ball to be ruled dead because paceman Steve Finn had dislodged the bails on his follow through.
England captain Andrew Strauss had an animated discussion with umpire Steve Davis, but law 23.4, section 6 of cricket's rules says: “An umpire shall call and signal dead ball when the striker is distracted by any noise or movement while receiving.”
Smith was on 6 when he was reprieved by the dead ball decision. Finn, who has collided with the stumps throughout his career, had previously knocked the bails off twice during the morning session.
Finn's inclusion in England's team was unexpected. In a major surprise, England left out Graeme Swann, making it the first test the hosts have played without a specialist spin bowler since 2003 -- also against South Africa at Headingley.
Although there was only partial cloud cover, England chose to bowl after winning the toss, a gamble that initially appeared to backfire.
After 45 fruitless minutes, Anderson finally drew an edge when Petersen was on 29. But Cook, who was fielding in Swann's usual position of second slip, dropped an easy chance.
Smith clearly wasn't distracted when Finn knocked into the stumps for a fifth time in the 20th over because he pulled the ball to the deep midwicket fence, only for Davis to again call dead ball and negate the boundary.
Smith was denied another boundary in identical fashion in the first over after lunch.
England finally ended a spell of 10 hours, 3 minutes without a wicket—since Smith fell on the third day of the first test at The Oval—when South Africa's captain chipped a leg-side delivery from Bresnan to Bell.
Amla got an inside edge to the sixth ball he faced, from Stuart Broad, but it just eluded the stumps and diving wicketkeeper Matt Prior to fly to the boundary for four.
Amla's cover drove the next delivery stylishly for four, but he was bizarrely run out after a misfield. Amla's drive squirted through Kevin Pietersen at cover, but Bresnan retrieved the ball near the boundary and Amla was failed to make his ground when looking for a third run.
Kallis looked dangerous, but when he fell in the 50th over to a low catch by Cook the test was delicately poised.
