South Africa were in sight of victory in the fourth Test at Headingley, Leeds, on Sunday as England, needing a massive 401 to win, closed the fourth day on 165 for five.
Mark Butcher was 57 not out with Andrew Flintoff on 45 after the pair put on 70 for the sixth wicket.
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Four of England's top six failed to reach double figures.
Earlier, Andrew Hall hammered a Test-best 99 not out on a deteriorating pitch as South Africa, seeking to go 2-1 up in the five-match series, were dismissed for 365 in their second innings.
The touring side clattered 129 in the morning at five runs an over to grab the initiative.
Hall, batting at nine, hammered his runs off 87 balls, 72 of them in boundaries. He was only the fifth man to be left stranded on 99 in test history.
Highlights:
- South Africa resumed on 164-5. Neil McKenzie edged Flintoff to second slip where Butcher grassed a simple catch at 194-5.
- Mark Boucher drove and cut fours next over off James Anderson as the pair put on 52 in the first 10 overs.
- McKenzie, 38, mis-pulled Flintoff to Martin Bicknell who took a sprawling catch at wide mid-on. 59-run stand. 219-6.
- Boucher, aiming a back-foot drive off Flintoff, caught behind for 39, 232-7. Flintoff 2 wickets for 4 runs in 6 balls.
- Anderson, overpitching to leg, hammered for five fours and 31 runs off five overs.
- Hall drove James Kirtley through cover, 100 runs in 20 overs. Kabir Ali hit for three consecutive fours by Hall, two cover drives and a cut.
- Monde Zondeki bowled off stump by Bicknell for seven after a 49-run stand. 281-8. Lunch: 293-8.
- Makhaya Ntini lbw to Ali for 8 after 30-run stand, 311-9.
- Hall pulled Flintoff for a six and then cut and pulled two fours. He drove Kirtley for a massive six over long on to get to 98, took a single and saw Dewald Pretorius bowled middle stump. 365 all out.
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- Herschelle Gibbs caught Marcus Trescothick at third slip for four off Ntini, 11-1. The ball popped out of his hands as he fell to the right but he grabbed it again with his left hand.
- Tea: 39-1. Michael Vaughan, on 21, tempted by a Jacques Kallis outswinger and snicked chest-high to Gibbs at third slip, 44-2.
- Nasser Hussain lbw for six to a Kallis delivery which cut back in, 62-3. Television replays suggested he was unlucky.
- Ed Smith, failing to get to the pitch, drove Hall straight to gully to depart for seven, 81-4.
- Alec Stewart, flashing on seven, was caught behind off an inside edge facing Ntini, 95-5.
- Butcher reached his 50 with a leg-side flick off Ntini (107 balls, 5x4). Flintoff, after some crashing drives, was dropped on 20 off Pretorius by a diving Kallis at second slip.
