By Pranav Soneji

Flintoff's late burst showed the all-rounder is back to his bowling best

Andrew Flintoff took four wickets as England hauled themselves back into contention in the third Test against South Africa at Edgbaston.

The all-rounder uprooted Jacques Kallis' off stump for 64 before removing AB de Villiers late on to leave the tourists at 256-6 at stumps.

Flintoff had earlier dismissed opener Neil McKenzie for 72, who put on 77 runs with nightwatchman Paul Harris.

Ashwell Prince remains unbeaten on 37 alongside Mark Boucher on 11.

An enthralling day's play ended in complete contrast to how it began, with Flintoff bowling as menacingly as in his fabled second-innings spell against Australia at the same ground in the 2005 Ashes series.

The Lancashire man ended Kallis's belligerent innings in the final hour of play with an unplayable outswinging yorker before dismissing de Villiers in his following over, resurrecting England's ailing hopes of a series-levelling victory.

But England will regret failing to utilise favourable weather conditions in the rain-delayed morning session.

The overcast - yet warm - weather should have given the three seamers enough encouragement to swing a 12-over-old ball.

606: DEBATE With four wickets, Flintoff has almost single-handedly put England back in the match oligold11

While he will never earn a comparison to Sachin Tendulkar, Harris's idiosyncratic batting technique was simple in its effectiveness - fend off straight deliveries and leave anything wide.

At the other end, McKenzie survived a close call with the score on 59 when he edged a probing Flintoff delivery on off stump to Andrew Strauss at first slip.

While the rest of the slip cordon celebrated, Strauss spread his arms to signify his uncertainty about whether the catch was taken cleanly, although McKenzie was set to walk.

And replays confirmed the ball just bounced a fraction of a second before it was cupped in the England opener's hands.

Harris' invaluable stand with McKenzie came to end when he edged Sidebottom to a grateful Alastair Cook at third slip for 19.

James Anderson's brilliant one-handed catch accounted for Amla

England's bowling deficiencies were exemplified by McKenzie's "wagon wheel" of runs, with the vast majority scored behind square, rather than straight.

And the home side's frustrations were further compounded when McKenzie was dropped by Paul Collingwood on 57 soon after lunch.

The opener edged Flintoff to second slip, where England's one-day captain fumbled a low, diving catch to his right, adding yet more misery to his already forgettable first-innings contribution.

But a moment of brilliance brought the crowd to their feet when a one-handed return catch from James Anderson ended Amla's stay for nine.

Like Kevin Pietersen on Wednesday, Amla edged on to his pads, from where the ball looped up in the air long enough for Anderson's outstretched left hand to gather the ball.

TMS BLOG Andrew Flintoff gave a thrilling illustration of what England have been missing throughout his long absence BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew

And the intensity duly reaped a deserved reward when Flintoff trapped the obdurate McKenzie lbw with a ball which would have clattered into his middle and off stumps.

The wicket was the all-rounder's 200th Test dismissal - although only his 193rd for England as seven came in the one-off Super Series Test in Sydney in 2005.

Kallis was struggling for runs from his three previous innings in the series, but despite an uncomfortable first couple of overs, he began to impose his authority with a series of assured cover drives and leg glances through mid-wicket, a worrying sign for the beleaguered Michael Vaughan.

The England captain had stated before he match that Monty Panesar would feature prominently on a dry surface, but ignored his only frontline spinner until the 51st over.

But there was little turn to concern Kallis, ably assisted by the doughty, in-form Prince.

Kallis looked in imperious form at Edgbaston

Prince had been fortunate to find gaps between third slip and gully, twice scything an increasingly forlorn Flintoff for fours to third before the tea break.

A 90-minute rain delay at tea saw the players take the field at 1725 BST, although the interruption failed to disrupt the rhythm of the fifth-wicket pair, both men dispatching Sidebottom for boundaries.

Kallis was afforded no such luxuries the following over as he received an almighty examination from Flintoff, mixing exocet bouncers with fast yorkers, one of which rapped Kallis flush on the front foot on middle stump.

The resulting lbw appeal was deafening, but umpire Aleem Dar somehow found enough doubt to turn down the shout, much to Flintoff's incredulity.

Still seething from the decision, Flintoff had his man back in the pavilion with a perfect yorker, ending a dangerous innings as well as a promising 91-run fifth-wicket stand.

South Africa drew level with England's first-innings score courtesy of four leg byes off de Villiers' pads.

But the Headingley centurion was back in the pavilion in Flintoff's following over, top-edging an attempted pull off a short delivery into the hands of Sidebottom at fine leg.

With a pumped-up Flintoff on song, Prince and Boucher gratefully accepted the umpires' offer of bad light to set up an intriguing third day's play on Friday.