To get them nine down was a great effort More close of play reaction

Talismanic all-rounder Andrew Flintoff picked up four wickets as England hit back to restrict South Africa to 247-9 at stumps on day two of the final Test.

After no play on the first day, England chose to field on a greenish wicket, but failed to bowl in the right areas.

AB de Villiers profited and hit 15 fours in search of his maiden century before falling lbw eight runs short.

Flintoff took two wickets in an over for figures of 4-44, with Simon Jones (3-47) providing good support.

It was a remarkable turnaround after the England attack produced a lacklustre display in the extended morning session, which South Africa ended on 108-1.

Herschelle Gibbs was given a life on eight when Marcus Trescothick spilled a low edge at slip off Steve Harmison.

The Durham paceman lost confidence and struggled with his line, only occasionally able to produce the sort of unplayable deliveries that took him to world number one last year.

Flintoff, rumoured to be heading home for surgery after this match, entered the attack and struck in his first over as Gibbs edged to keeper Geraint Jones.

Brilliant bowling by Flintoff made up for mediocre bowling by the rest From James Have your say on TMS

After his wicket maiden he was taken off as Michael Vaughan opted for Matthew Hoggard to the left-handed Rudolph.

Whilst De Villiers played a series of expansive shots on both sides of the wicket, Rudolph looked in difficulty from the outset, surviving a spate of injudicious shots.

Trying for a quick single, Rudolph was yards out of his ground when Flintoff's throw went past the stumps, but De Villiers restored calm and recorded the fifty partnership from 95 balls.

Harmison had more bad luck when De Villiers on 34 sliced him to Andrew Strauss at gully, who could not hold on to the low chance.

The interval revived England and Hoggard tempted Rudolph into a hook, which resulted in Robert Key holding an excellent catch running backwards as the ball fell out of bright sunshine.

Kallis is yorked superbly by the irrepressible Flintoff

Master batsman Jacques Kallis got off the mark with a textbook cover drive to the fence, and De Villiers struck three fours in an over from Hoggard.

Flintoff again brought England back into contention when he produced a superb yorker that drifted slightly and uprooted the off-stump of Kallis, who made only eight.

That brought in skipper Graeme Smith in a new position of number five, and he soon found his stride with two fours in an over off Flintoff.

De Villiers, by contrast, became a different player after a square drive took him into the 90s.

He survived two confident lbw appeals from Harmison but played some rash strokes, almost holing out to mid-on attempting to force Giles.

The wily spinner then fired in a quicker ball that trapped the 20-year-old low on the front pad as he tried to sweep.

After the South Africans reached 200 with Flintoff's eighth no-ball, the burly Lancastrian tempted Smith (25) to edge outside off-stump.

Two balls later and Shaun Pollock's middle stump was cartwheeling out of the ground via a tentative inside edge.

Harmison suffered an injury scare diving in the field, his knee jarring into the turf but after a few cautious flexes he appeared to be satisfied that there was no serious injury.

Jones was brought back ahead of the new ball, but proved far more than a fill-in, prompting Mark Boucher (25) to edge to Trescothick, who had taken the captaincy while Vaughan was briefly off the field.

And Graham Thorpe was perfectly placed just off the cut strip at short mid-off to pouch a mis-timed drive by Nicky Boje, who made nine.

Makhaya Ntini, struck on the visor early in his innings, top-edged Jones and Hoggard took a tumbling catch from mid-on.

The Welshman thought he had wrapped up the innings when Andrew Hall was caught at fine-leg by Harmison, but umpire Dar declared the 19th no-ball of the day.

And with lightning flashing dramatically under slate grey skies moving ever closer, the umpires decided to abandon play for the day.

South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt.), Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Rudolph, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher (wkt), Andrew Hall, Nicky Boje, Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Andre Nel.

England: Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss, Robert Key, Michael Vaughan (capt.), Graham Thorpe, Andrew Flintoff, Geraint Jones (wkt), Ashley Giles, Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison, Simon Jones.

Umpires: SA Bucknor (WI), Aleem Dar (Pkn)