Two massive storms wiped out a large chunk of the third day

England endured a difficult batting period in stormy conditions to close 114-4 on a rain-affected third day.

Graham Thorpe defied the bowling for an unbeaten 32, sharing a watchful 85 with Andrew Strauss, who fell for 44 just before a second major storm ended play.

England began confidently in reply to 247, but Marcus Trescothick was run out by a direct hit as three wickets fell for only two runs in 19 deliveries.

Simon Jones took the final South Africa wicket with the second ball of the day.

Andrew Hall lashed a wide one at good pace from the Welshman and Strauss took a fine catch tumbling forward at third man.

It completed a spell of 4-12 in 5.3 overs for Jones, left out of the previous Test, who now has 14 wickets from four matches in the series.

We've got to bat out the first session into the afternoon Graham Thorpe More reaction

Following England's immediate success in the field, their much admired opening pair made a positive start, with Trescothick taking the central role.

The powerful Somerset left-hander leg-glanced the opening delivery from Shaun Pollock for four, and also in the first over drove confidently straight down the ground to the boundary.

He was severe when offered any width, twice cutting high over the slips to the boundary.

Strauss had far less of the early strike, but after taking nine balls to get off the mark, he showed the South Africans there was no decline in his form with an imperious pull shot to the fence.

England were moving smoothly along, completely in command, when a moment of hesitation over a single changed the course of the day's play.

Trescothick's dismissal changed the complexion of the match

Trescothick was at the non-striker's end and was called for a run only to be sent back as the ball went to Nicky Boje's favoured left hand at mid-off.

The throw clattered into the stumps and beat Trescothick's cumbersome lunge.

Shaun Pollock then tempted Robert Key to glance down the legside and offer a simple catch to Mark Boucher.

In the same over, skipper Michael Vaughan fell fourth ball for a duck, rashly attempting to pull a ball that hurried on to him.

Having done nothing particularly inspirational, the South Africans suddenly found themselves in the ascendancy.

Pollock celebrates Vaughan's wicket, his second success in one over

But the dire situation once again proved ideal for Thorpe, who was content to block when Andre Nel and Makhaya Ntini fired the ball in at him.

He worked the ball around calmly for ones and twos, with England enjoying only occasional bursts of rapid scoring such as the 12 that came from one Pollock over, Strauss caressing one immaculate drive to the boundary.

Having recorded a fifty stand from 140 balls, the batsmen watched as charcoal skies, accompanied by flashes of lightning, surged closer.

Within seconds there were strong gusts and pulsating rain and it was almost two and a half hours before the players re-emerged.

My money is on SA to win this one purely cause the weather looks fine for the next two days From SA Have your say on TMS

That resumption lasted all of six deliveries as Strauss found Ntini's shorter deliveries difficult to sight, and there was another delay of half an hour.

Thorpe guided successive boundaries through the slips as the volatile Nel grew increasingly angry.

Strauss began to look at his fluent best with a textbook drive to the cover boundary off Nel, but attempting to repeat the shot to a slightly wider one next ball he snicked to Boucher.

Andrew Flintoff did not have to face a ball as Thorpe played out a maiden with the storm clouds looming again, and within moments hopes of more play were ended by a dramatic, torrential deluge.

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)