By Jonathan Agnew BBC cricket correspondent

Once again the cricket - ruthlessly dominated by South Africa - was forced into the background as the ramifications of the controversial umpire's Decision Review System took centre stage in Johannesburg.

The Decision Review System worked to the advantage of AB de Villiers

First, the International Cricket Council issued a statement in which they backed their man, the third umpire Daryl Harper, who was at the centre of the row on the second day after failing to detect the sound from the edge of Graeme Smith's bat.

The ICC maintained that he had followed the correct protocol and that at no stage had the match referee, Roshan Mahanama, told the England management that Harper had failed to turn up the volume of his speakers.

Some comments then appeared on Harper's Facebook page, attributed to but quickly disowned by him, and a busy morning of statements and accusations ended with the England team requesting that the failed review be reinstated.

A simmering Giles Clarke, the chairman of England and Wales Cricket Board, did the rounds at lunchtime, reinforcing England's opposition to the scheme - the ECB was the only national governing body to vote against its implementation - while AB de Villiers benefited from two reviews and, in addition, would have perished caught behind had England any left in the locker.

It was a miracle the players managed to keep their frustrations in check, especially after the morning had begun so promisingly.

Stuart Broad struck with the 10th ball of the day when Hashim Amla was superbly caught by a diving Matt Prior having added only two runs to his overnight 73 and then, six balls later, Sidebottom claimed the prize wicket of Jacques Kallis with a brute of a ball which reared at his throat, and James Anderson dived full length to take a wonderfully athletic catch in the gully.

606: DEBATE If this last Test v SA tells us one thing it is that the referral system should not involve the players - if players make an appeal for an out and the umpire is in any doubt then the umpire should refer to the third umpire Straffan

But de Villiers and Mark Boucher, both busy batsmen, took the game away as de Villiers survived what appeared to be a catch at leg-slip and an lbw, which Hawkeye suggested might have passed over the wicket, and the catch behind on 41.

He finally perished at mid-on for 58 leaving Boucher to home in on his first Test hundred for a year. He fell five runs short when Swann again took a wicket in the first over of a new spell as Boucher swept him to deep square leg.

Sent in to face to music, England quickly lost Alastair Cook to a slip catch off Morne Morkel, Jonathan Trott completed a poor game when he edged Dale Steyn to third slip and Wayne Parnell struck the hammer blow when Andrew Strauss fell lbw after a fighting 22.

The question for the fourth day is how long can Kevin Pietersen, averaging only 27 in the series, delay the inevitable?

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