Proteas press on
AFP, Cape Town
South Africa scored briskly as they sought a massive lead after injured swing bowler Charl Langeveldt wrecked England's batting on the third day of the third Test at Newlands Tuesday.South Africa were 109 for three in their second innings at tea, an overall lead of 387, after England were bowled out for 163. Langeveldt, making his Test debut at the age of 30 and likely to miss the remaining two Tests because of a broken bone in his left hand, took five for 46 as England collapsed. Fast bowler Makhaya Ntini took four for 50. Despite a lead of 278, South Africa decided not to enforce the follow-on. Captain Graeme Smith was quickly out for two and two more wickets fell before tea as South Africa kept up a scoring rate of four runs an over. First innings centurion Jacques Kallis was unbeaten on 34. Langeveldt was playing with his left hand in a compression bandage after X-rays confirmed he had a broken fifth metacarpal bone. He was struck on the hand while batting against Flintoff Monday. Team spokesman Gerald de Kock said the injury would probably rule Langeveldt out of the two remaining Tests in the series, which England lead 1-0. Langeveldt snapped up the next four wickets. Langeveldt, a former prison warder, has played in nine one-day internationals for South Africa but only recently came into contention as a Test candidate. His ability to swing the ball away from right-handed batsmen at lively pace proved ideal Tuesday as both he and Shaun Pollock were able to generate swing into a moderate breeze. Resuming at a precarious 95 for four, England were soon in crisis when Ntini dismissed nightwatchman Matthew Hoggard and followed up by having star all-rounder Andrew Flintoff caught at backward point. Geraint Jones was caught at first slip, Graham Thorpe clipped a catch to square leg and Simon Jones was bowled before last man Steve Harmison presented Smith with his third catch at first slip. Ashley Giles was left unbeaten on 31. Smith was leg before wicket to Hoggard in the third over but Gibbs and Jacques Rudolph put on 60 off 59 balls before Gibbs fenced at a ball from Flintoff and was caught behind. It was Flintoff's 100th Test wicket in his 43rd Test. He became the fifth Englishman to score 2000 runs and take 100 wickets in Tests. Kallis, who made 149 in the first innings, was quickly into his stride but Rudolph, after a good start, added only five in a 39-run partnership with Kallis before driving Simon Jones to cover where Robert Key held a diving catch.
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