By Jonathan Agnew BBC cricket correspondent

England made the South African bowlers work for their rewards, but it seems inevitable that the tourists will pay for their many mistakes in the first innings.

Both here and in Durban, South Africa's bowling attack has been exposed as being toothless, and it certainly lacks a cutting edge.

Vaughan has scored just 84 runs from six innings in the series

But the sheer scale of the task - to bat for 167 overs on a wearing pitch - appears to be beyond England.

They have managed to stave off defeats against South Africa in similar situations before.

In 1995, Mike Atherton's marathon ensured that England survived for 165 overs and three years later at Old Trafford Angus Fraser and Robert Croft held out in the gloom after a total of 171 overs.

Both occasions were dependent on large scores by individuals but this time England's top order has already been dismissed.

Graham Thorpe remains, but he is being troubled by the ball pitching in the rough outside his off stump.

After a frenetic morning in which South Africa ran about like headless chickens and lost five wickets for 38 runs before declaring, England's innings got off to the worst possible start when Marcus Trescothick fell to what was clearly a predetermined plan.

Hashim Amla was cunningly placed at a deliberately short and straight mid off. Before anyone had been able to work out why he had been put there, Trescothick punched the second delivery straight to him and walked off.

Robert Key made a five-ball duck in the first innings but, with Andrew Strauss, he dug in for 32 overs while 68 runs were scored.

It was far from pretty, and the Barmy Army soon busied themselves with alternative entertainment before Graeme Smith finally turned to his spinner, Nicky Boje.

It was not long before he spun one back sharply at Strauss who was trapped on the back foot and dispatched lbw by Steve Bucknor.

The new ball is due almost immediately in the morning

It was strange that Boje was removed from the attack while Key and Michael Vaughan frustrated the South Africans for 20 overs.

Only 35 runs were scored, but while the seam bowlers toiled away ineffectively, the situation was crying out for the left-arm spinner.

Eventually Boje was recalled and, unbelievably, Key charged his second delivery to be stranded yards out of his ground.

Next over Vaughan pulled Makhaya Ntini straight to Rudolph at deep square leg for 20 - he has scored just 84 runs from six innings in the series - to leave Thorpe and Andrew Flintoff to bat out the 23 overs that remained.