The tourists closed on 101 for three, with two wickets for James Anderson - one of them via a slip catch for his fellow Lancastrian and England's returning hero Andrew Flintoff.

Graeme Smith set out to compound home frustration but was caught in the slips for 44 off England's fit-again all-rounder.

On a day when England's surprise debutant Darren Pattinson was granted just three wicketless overs with the new ball, though, it was Hashim Amla who found himself in the eye of a storm as Flintoff tried to inspire the fightback.

Twice in one Flintoff over, Amla thought he was out. Instead, he survived to be unbeaten at stumps - first when he was called back over confusion as to whether the ball carried to Vaughan at mid-off and then when a dubious no-ball call overrode a possible caught-behind dismissal.

England's innings was a desultory procession, in which all the batsmen bar three reached double-figures but none bettered Kevin Pietersen's 45. They were 70 for three by lunch and all out at tea, after Smith had put them in under heavy cloud cover.

The slowness of the pitch was offset by significant movement off it, and some through the air too.

That did not explain England's meagre total, however, which was down to their fallibility and the determination of fast bowlers Dale Steyn (four for 76) and first change Morne Morkel (four for 52) to make up for their false start in the drawn first Test at Lord's.