"The final total was 351 and England's target of 346 to win receded with the sun as they lost two wickets in a torrid 13 overs at the end of the day"
Lord's was drenched in sun and rain at different times, but South Africa's superiority was constant. Tobias Gourlay rounds up the action from the summer's penultimate day of Test cricket
The sun was out as England arrived at Lord's for the fourth day of an engaging final contest with South Africa, the team who will replace them as officially the world's best if, as now seems likely, Andrew Strauss' men do not win this match.
The dismissal of Jacques Kallis late in the previous day's final session had raised England's mood and the local fast men bombarded the nightwatchman, Dale Steyn, with short balls. Like Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow on Saturday, the little terrier played them well, until he fended one from Stuart Broad to James Taylor at short leg.
A quarter of an hour later, James Anderson dropped AB De Villiers. The aberration at short mid-wicket was England's ninth drop of the series and sparked the first thoughts that victory might be beyond the home side.
At the other end, Hashim Amla's accumulation was as remorseless as the gathering of the clouds overhead. Unaffected by the changing conditions and the glare of the floodlights, South Africa's number three had reached 92 when the rain landed just before lunch.
Just after the resumption, Amla cut Trott behind square for his first boundary of the day and his second century of the series (or fourth, if his triple at the Oval counts for three).
The batsmen were then perfectly set for the new ball. The better weather suited them and so too did Strauss' decision to choose Stuart Broad, who has lost a yard or more of pace this summer, over Steven Finn.
Just before tea, Finn turned in a five-over spell that brought three wickets, reducing South Africa to 306-7 at the interval and enhancing the prospect of a positive result. In the midst of the Middlesex man's good work, his occasional county colleague, Strauss, shelled his team's tenth catch of the series.
Vernon Philander's shotmaking was as injudicious as Kevin Pietersen's text messaging, but the tailender thrashed 35, while JP Duminy emphasised the value of playing seven specialist batsmen. Whisper it respectfully, but the Proteas might have been strengthened by Mark Boucher's injury-enforced retirement.
The final total was 351 and England's target of 346 to win receded with the sun as they lost two wickets in a torrid 13 overs at the end of the day. First, Alastair Cook lost his balance and was leg before wicket to Philander.
Then Strauss played no shot to a straight ball from the same bowler and he too was trapped in front. In real time it was a howling misjudgment, but, on review, it might have been the decision of a man determined to show his new enemy Pietersen that there are myriad ways to get him out.
Over the last few days Philander has shown how he took 50 wickets in his first seven Tests and why South Africa rate him so highly. His emergence from the shadows and into the Lord's sun has confirmed what had seemed likely ever since the visitors took 20 wickets to England's two at the Oval a month ago: South Africa are the superior batsmen, bowlers and fielders.
With Graeme Smith's side rated 1.618/13 favourites to win tomorrow and double the margin of a well-deserved series victory, there is just one consolation for Strauss and his team: Pietersen stepped down to county level today and was bowled first ball by a left-arm spinner. It's not recorded if the England captain ever watched The Wire, but, if he did, rest assured he knows exactly how to cover his mobile phone records.
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