Duminy leads tourists' resistance

Steven Finn gave England a flying start to their must-win third Investec Test before JP Duminy stalled home progress on a first day of fluctuating fortunes at Lord's.

Finn struck three times in seven balls in the morning, after James Anderson had administered the first blow with the wicket of South Africa captain Graeme Smith. Both pace bowlers ended the day with three wickets each.

But from 54 for four, South Africa dug in to make up for early losses on a predictably even surface to close on 262 for seven - thanks in large part to Duminy's 61 and Vernon Philander. England need victory here to share the series and stop their opponents knocking them off the top of the International Cricket Council world rankings.

Smith chose to bat and he soon knew he and his opening partner Alviro Petersen would be in for an examination of technique and judgement as England's pace bowlers found movement in the air, and a little off the seam. It was not until Anderson opted for a new line of attack against Smith that England got their breakthrough, though.

Anderson went round the wicket from the pavilion end, and pushed one further up and wide. Smith followed it down the hill - and although his bat hit the floor as well as the ball, umpire Kumar Dharmasena's initial not-out verdict for caught-behind had to be overturned when England requested DRS.

Finn did not disappoint on his home ground. First a little extra bounce undid Petersen, who gloved a catch behind down the leg side. Hashim Amla then departed to a very good delivery, bowled between bat and pad by Finn. He took his third wicket for just three runs when Jacques Kallis became the second batsman to be caught-behind down the leg side.

This time it seemed, after England again reviewed Dharmasena's initial not-out verdict, that - in a near action-reply of Petersen's dismissal - the bottom glove might well have been off the handle when it was hit. But after much deliberation, and to the obvious dismay of Smith and others on the South African balcony, third umpire Rod Tucker ruled otherwise.

England lost their remaining review appealing an lbw decision against AB de Villiers, but it cost them no runs - Anderson concluding a sequence of 13 dot balls to de Villiers with his wicket, well caught by Alastair Cook away to his left at third slip, to end a stand of 51 with Jacques Rudolph.

The latter continued the fightback in the second of three consecutive half-century stands, alongside Duminy, until the left-handed alliance for the sixth wicket was broken soon after tea when Rudolph edged on to his stumps as he tried to work Graeme Swann to leg.

If England were planning a surge to wrap up the tail, Duminy and Philander saw to it that no such thing happened. The former's six boundaries were hard-earned, and it was not until Anderson returned with the second new ball that Duminy reached out at a wider delivery on the back foot and got a bottom edge to give Matt Prior his fourth catch of the day.