Amla keeps England at bay

Hashim Amla's 50 put South Africa right back in the final Test at the Brit Oval today

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Hashim Amla’s fastest ever Test 50 kept England at bay as only Stuart Broad picked up a wicket for the home side before rain ended play on day three of the fourth npower Test.

The umpires made several inspections throughout the afternoon but eventually called the game off at 4.45pm,

Amla had earlier creamed 14 fours in a blistering 71 not out that moved South Africa to within sight of wiping out England’s lead before rain forced an early lunch at the Brit Oval.

Broad was England’s only wicket-taker when he uprooted Neil McKenzie’s middle stump for 29, but the session belonged to Amla as he moved rapidly along to take the visitors into lunch at 110 for two.

Jacques Kallis (two not out) was also at the crease as he and Amla set up a South Africa fightback going into the fourth day.

As with yesterday’s play, rain disrupted the scheduled start, with the players finally emerging half an hour later than planned.

Any ideas England had of an early breakthrough were dashed when, amid some wayward bowling, Amla and McKenzie saw off the opening burst from James Anderson and Steve Harmison.

It could have been much different had Amla’s inside edge from Harmison’s opening delivery cannoned into the stumps, but instead the right-hander took full advantage to duly crash Anderson for a brace of consecutive boundaries, a sumptuous leg-side clip the highlight.

McKenzie’s departure, from Broad’s opening over of the innings via another inside edge that disturbed his middle stump, refused to faze Amla and he whistled Flintoff to the rope through cover off the back foot to bring up his ninth Test 50 shortly afterwards.

Amla’s score came after occupying the crease for just 92 minutes and he had cracked 10 boundaries en route to 50.

His knock could have been ended when Flintoff induced a false stroke on 58 but Tim Ambrose failed to cling onto a sharp chance diving full-length away to his left following an inside edge.

Amla, accompanied by a resolute Kallis, continued to flourish and had all but wiped out England’s lead by the time the teams scurried off for rain and never managed to come back on again.