Graham Thorpe has set England's sights on batting past lunchtime on Monday against South Africa to try and force a draw in the fifth Test. "We've got to hang in there again," said Thorpe, who was unbeaten on 32 overnight after a stand of 85 with Andrew Strauss on day three.
"We've got to bat out the first session into the afternoon and we'll go a long way to making the game safe.
"It was a shame to lose Straussy - that was the one downside to the day."
Strauss was caught behind for 44 just before a second storm struck Centurion Park, providing a first wicket for the impressive Andre Nel.
It ended a partnership that helped England, in trouble on 29-3 at one point, save the follow on, reaching 114-4 in reply to South Africa's 247.
"I tried to hang in there with Straussy and got a bit of a partnership together," Thorpe added.
"That dampened their spirits a bit but they've come hard at us today.
 Nel dismissed Strauss for his first wicket late in the day |
"It's hard to keep making starts when you come back in for rain and go back out again.
"But I tried to concentrate hard and play as straight as I could."
Nel admitted to nerves as he made his return to Test action after an absence of 10 months.
"I had a few people to prove wrong and I was a bit nervous but very excited," the volatile paceman said.
"Not a lot of people like me, I'm a bit too aggressive for most people's liking and I'm 'in your face' but if I didn't do it I wouldn't be half the bowler.
"Maybe sometimes I go overboard and I've been working on controlling it but aggression's a big part of my armoury."
MMIX
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