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England pair dig in
11:45, Dec 20 2009
England limited the damage to two wickets before lunch at Centurion as they sought to bat out the final day to salvage a draw.
Set a notional 364 to win the first Test by South Africa, that was out of reasonable calculations as England began on 11 for one. Survival was instead the key and, with nightwatchman James Anderson gone early, Alastair Cook was also out of the equation after a stand of 11 runs in more than 10 overs with Jonathan Trott.
From a dicey 27 for three, Trott and Kevin Pietersen's unbroken stand took the score to 77 without further loss.
But it was still debatable whether England could hold out for two more sessions and ensure they arrive in Durban for the Boxing Day Test all square with three to play.
Anderson had last night identified the first hour as a crucial period, with the new ball likely to misbehave on an unpredictable pitch.
But he lasted only until the third over of a bright but cooler day before flicking a catch behind down the leg-side off Friedel de Wet.
New batsman Trott's temperament is perhaps his biggest asset and he was unconcerned at taking 13 balls to register his first run.
Cook was in no hurry, either, needing 49 deliveries until he counted his first boundary - timing Makhaya Ntini off his hip past a vacant midwicket.
By then Paul Harris was into the attack and the slow left-armer was encouraged in his first over when he turned one sharply past Trott's outside edge. Then Cook, facing his first ball of the day from Harris, pushed forward and gloved more turn - via his pad - into the hands of Graeme Smith at backward short-leg.
Trott responded by pushing the boundaries of strokelessness in the hour before lunch - 75 balls in all for his 18 runs - despite the exaggerated attacking fields set by Smith, especially to Harris. It was only the more positive intent of Pietersen that kept England moving at all and it was not until he had been at the crease almost 70 minutes that Trott hit a four - pulled off second spinner JP Duminy.
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