Summary

  • England - set 382 to win - close on 52-3

  • Hales, Cook & Compton fall cheaply

  • England must bat out final day to draw

  • SA 248-5 dec: Amla 96, Bavuma 78*

  • England lead 2-0 in four-Test series

Live Reporting

Stephan Shemilt

  1. Michael Vaughan
    Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

    "Hashim Amla is at mid-off instead of first slip. He's got tape all over his hand because of that knock on his thumb and finger."

  2. Eng 2-0

    Kagiso Rabada shares the new ball, fresh from a seven-fer in the first innings. It's still very windy, the sort of breeze that blew before the rain came. Hales is away with a clip off his pads, Cook with a push on the off side.

  3. Get Involved

    #bbccricket

    Joe: Tough choice for Cook now. Probably going to lose anyway but does he do it trying to win or trying to draw?

    Luke Swales: Anybody else fancy this new-look England team to knock these runs off? Nope? Me neither.

  4. Eng 0-0 (target 382)

    An England fan plays the trumpetAP

    Odd sky overhead. Hints of blue, but it still feels dark. The light will surely intervene at some point. Morkel round the wicket, the Barmy Army congratulating themselves on another rendition of Jerusalem. Morkel straight to the jumpy Cook, who hops, leaves and takes blows to get through the over.

  5. Get Involved

    #bbccricket

    Matt Spurr: Time for Hales to play his natural game and get some big runs quickly.

    Fleming Jensen: My soul is prepared to take on all the Hales-hate should he get out cheaply. Still only four matches. 

  6. Eng 0-0

    The South Africa players are making their way out to the middle and Kyle Abbott is in the ranks. Alastair Cook, who needs 41 to complete 10,000 in Test cricket, is on strike. Three slips, leg slip and short leg. Play.

  7. Where did the notion of the Last Chance Saloon come from? And what would you order if you were there? Who buys the drinks? If the round is on someone else, I'd be ordering something expensive.

  8. Highest fourth-innings chases to win in Centurion

    • 251-8: England beat South Africa, 2000
    • 226-4: South Africa beat Sri Lanka, 1998
    • 199-3: South Africa beat Pakistan, 2007
    • 124-7: South Africa beat Sri Lanka, 2002

  9. Get Involved

    #bbccricket

    Toby Higgins: England to end the day on 17-3.

  10. Alex HalesRex Features

    I wonder what Alex Hales is thinking as he straps his pads on, apart from "who's moved my thigh pad?"

    The Notts opener has just ordered himself a pint of mild in the Last Chance Saloon.

  11. Get Involved

    #bbccricket

    PtheP: 382? Is that all? Get Stokes in at number three or four and we can all take Tuesday afternoon off! 

    Rachel T: Stokes and Bairstow to open!

  12. I'm hearing that Kyle Abbott is out there and that England might have 17 overs to get through tonight. I'm not sure the light will hold to get all those in.

  13. South Africa have declared

    AB has spoken to the coach, his players, phoned his mum and some chap he bumped into at Starbucks the other day called Bernard. He's finally been persuaded to declare.

    England need 382 to win.

  14. The South Africa bowlers are out there warming-up, so that suggests the declaration has come. Just awaiting confirmation on that one.

  15. Play to resume at 15:10

    There we go, we will have some cricket again today. Play is to resume in 20 minutes or so. You'd think that England will be batting, but AB de Villiers might want a lead of 500...

  17. Twitter is suggesting the covers are coming off. AB de Villiers sits in a dark corner, pondering the declaration. "Think, think, AB. What shall we do? Probably need another 50 runs..."

  19. I'm hearing a rumour that the sun might be out at Centurion...

  20. The bowling's no better. All I've seen so far is long-hops and leg-stump tripe. James Taylor has just taken a catch in his backside, though.