posted on Aug, 25 2003 @ 07:14 AM
England today conceded an unbeatable 2-1 npower series lead to South Africa by losing their last five wickets for 44 runs in 70 balls of the final
morning at Headingley.
England's two remaining faint hopes of a sensational victory were eliminated inside the first three overs by Jacques Kallis (six for 54), who was
recording his fourth five-wicket haul and his best Test figures to set up a 191-run win for the tourists.
Mark Butcher, unbeaten on 57 overnight in a sixth-wicket stand of 70 with Andrew Flintoff (50), clipped the first ball on this deciding day of the
fourth Test for four off his legs.
But Kallis exacted immediate revenge when he found a little extra bounce and movement away off the pitch with his next delivery to take Butcher's
outside edge into the hands of Andrew Hall at first slip.
It was a telling instant setback to England's chances of adding another 236 to their overnight 165 for five and completing the fourth-highest
last-innings run chase in Test history to go one up themselves with just one match left to play, at The Oval next week.