Kirsten stretched South Africa's lead with a patient 60 Pictures from Headingley

South Africa held the upper hand over England in the fourth Test despite losing three wickets late on a tense third evening at Headingley.

The tourists bowled England out for 307, with five wickets falling in 50 minutes after lunch, to take a first-innings lead of 35.

And, on a pitch breaking up to allow worryingly variable bounce, a partnership between Jacques Kallis and Gary Kirsten seemed to be taking the match out of the hands of the home side.

But a patient approach from England's pace bowlers brought the wickets of both men, plus that of Jacques Rudolph, in a session that went on until 1921BST, South Africa going to stumps with a lead of 199.

Neil McKenzie survived a couple of heart-stopping edges to reach 17 not out, while Mark Boucher was unbeaten on two.

Three dogged innings dominated the day, Nasser Hussain making 42 before his dismissal triggered the collapse, Kallis amassing 41 and first-innings centurion Kirsten 60.

Beginning the day 197-3, England recovered from the dismissal of Ed Smith, edging a Kallis outswinger behind, to the first ball of the morning.

The fifth wicket brought 42 runs from 21 balls before Alec Stewart edged an attempted pull at Dewald Pretorius high in the air to mid-wicket

Flintoff smashed three sixes in his 55

But the loss of Hussain five minutes into the afternoon was catastrophic: four further wickets fell for the addition of 46 runs.

Only a free-hitting 55 from Andrew Flintoff could take England close to first-innings parity.

With the new ball three overs away, South Africa's experiment with the part-time leg-spin of Jacques Rudolph saw Hussain caught off a return catch from the 22-year-old's second ball in Test cricket.

Martin Bicknell, Kabir Ali and James Kirtley all followed in single figures, a seventh-wicket stand of 28 between Bicknell and Flintoff down mainly to the latter's successive sixes off Pretorius.

Flintoff cleared the boundary once more, prospering with the pull even though he was dropped by McKenzie at deep backward square leg on six.

He was last man out, bowled by Makhaya Ntini making space for a heave, for 55 from 64 balls.

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England struck early with a couple of lbw decisions, Herschelle Gibbs to Kirtley for two and captain Graeme Smith pushed back by Martin Bicknell for 14.

Kallis survived a chance on nine when Mark Butcher failed to sight a chance at gully, and Kirsten appeared to glove Flintoff behind on 38, only to be given a reprieve.

Kallis' wicket, a fine edge behind off Kirtley, saw England's spirits rise again, before Kirsten's 147-ball innings ended when he was lbw to Kabir Ali.

And Anderson's dismissal of Rudolph, caught at short-leg off an inside edge onto his hip, revived a slender chance of victory.

England: MP Vaughan (capt), ME Trescothick, MA Butcher, N Hussain, ET Smith, AJ Stewart (wkt), A Flintoff, JM Anderson, RJ Kirtley, Kabir Ali, M Bicknell.