Jacques Kallis was batting on 10 and Andrew Hall, promoted to take advantage of field restriction in the earlier stage of the innings, was not out on 23. Opener Herschelle Gibbs and his opening partner and skipper Graeme Smith were the two wickets that the hosts claimed.

Earlier, wicket-keeper Read (30 not out) and left-arm spinner Giles (20 not out) put on 47 in 35 balls to break a stranglehold established by paceman Shaun Pollock's miserly one for 21 from 10 overs.

Marcus Trescothick (60) and Anthony McGrath (53), who shared a third-wicket stand of 114 in 159 balls laid a solid platform before England suffered another middle-order slump.

After captain Michael Vaughan won the toss and chose to bat first in overcast conditions, England lost early wickets. Makhaya Ntini, (three for 38), struck first when he had Vikram Solanki (four) caught behind off an off-cutter. And Vaughan (three), who came in his usual number three position, after saying he would bat four, was then caught behind off Pollock. Somerset left-hander Trescothick, who made an unbeaten 114 in England's six-wicket win over the Proteas at The Oval on Saturday, then took charge. Trescothick, dropped on 53 by Nicky Boje, saw a top-edged sweep off part-time spinner Martin van Jaarsveld's second ball caught by Boje at short fine leg. Trescothick faced 92 balls including seven fours. McGrath's 98-ball innings, his first one-day international fifty, ended when he was stumped by Mark Boucher off left-arm spinner Boje. The middle order subsided before Read, running hard, and Giles got England back into the match.