The evening session is about to get under way. We could get 44 overs if the light holds so strap yourself in, grab the biscuit tin and pour yourself a cold one.

Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"The worst thing about being on tour on Christmas Day is that you have to train because there's a Test on Boxing Day. Nobody would be in the mood for training. I'd put a Santa hat on for our lap of the ground, more to put two fingers up at the authorities who didn't want us to do that."

Test Match Special are talking about being on tour on Christmas Day at the moment...

Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special

Image source, Getty Images

"AB De Villiers will always fight for South Africa and, when he can, will put the pressure back on England. To have him coming in at number four is like what Adam Gilchrist used to do for Australia."

Thanks James. I'd say England are just about in front too, but WinViz, an online tool which tries to predict each team's chances of victory, has South Africa at 44% and England at 41%. That changes as the game progresses, mind.

Get AB and England will be licking their chops over dinner tonight.

Time for me to leave you, with this Test match very intriguingly poised. Marc Higginson will see you through to the close.

South Africa first innings: 55-2 (19 overs)

Batsmen: Elgar 22, De Villiers 26

Fall of wickets: 0-1 (Van Zyl 0), 14-2 (Amla 7)

Bowling figures: Broad 5-3-8-2, Woakes 4-0-14-0, Moeen 3-0-14-0, Finn 5-0-12-0, Stokes 2-1-7-0

England first innings: 303 all out (100.1 overs)

Fall of wickets: 3-1 (Cook 0), 12-2 (Hales 10), 49-3 (Root 24), 174-4 (Taylor 70), 196-5 (Stokes 21), 247-6 (Compton 85), 253-7 (Moeen 0), 253-8 (Woakes 0), 267-9 (Bairstow 41), 303-10 (Finn 12).

Not out batsman: Broad 32

Bowling figures: Steyn 25.1-5-70-4, Abbott 24-4-66-1, Morkel 26-5-76-4, Piedt 16-2-63-1, Van Zyl 2-1-2-0, Elgar 7-2-22-0.

Full scorecard

Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special

"It's been an intriguing day of Test cricket. There's been a lot happening, there's been great intensity. England are on top with the runs on the board, so it's set up nicely for the evening session."

Dean Elgar looks like a gritty customer with his flinty eyes and three-day stubble. He's not going to throw his wicket away in the last over before tea despite Steven Finn's best efforts. That's tea, and England will reckon they're on top here.

Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special

"AB is a non-fuss type of cricketer. Jacques Kallis would be messing with his bat handles, the stickers etc, whereas AB would just get padded up and go out there to play."

Lovely footwork from AB, shuffling onto his back foot with the twinkle-toed grace of a ballet dancer and pulling Stokes through midwicket for four.

Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special

"It's interesting to watch how De Villiers can curb himself and his attacking shots when he has to. Once he gets in he can cut loose but he is able to apply himself and play patiently."

Image source, AP

Sweet from De Villiers, Finn strays a whisker too full and AB clips him regally off his toes for four. But he's still not looking too comfortable - Finn finds that probing line again and De Villiers fences awkwardly at it, sending it towards the slips on the bounce.

Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special

"England have a balanced team with four seamers and a spinner, plus they bat really deep. If they can get the rest of the top order contributing alongside Cook and Root, they can become a real force on this tour."

Ben Stokes, perhaps still smarting from that rejected catch, comes into the attack. Elgar, a gritty, survivalist sort of opener, blocks out a maiden.

Jonathan France: That was out! The zoomed in replay showed it went straight in. Looked out the more you saw it. He'll go on to get 200 now! 

Kyle White: Normally these look Not Out, that looked like it carried, 100%. 

Mark Thorn: It didn't just carry! It went straight in! What a joke!

The more I look at replays of that De Villiers catch, the more I reckon it was out. Stokes had his fingers under the ball and I don't think it touched the ground before that. Stokes initially let out a yelp of celebration, then - very honestly - shrugged his shoulders to indicate he wasn't sure. Once it went upstairs 'not out' was always favourite. Finn is causing AB problems though - he gets one to fly off the inside edge (and away for four), then whistles one past the outside edge.