England fall short as SA top rankings
Cricket:Matt Prior's thrilling last-ditch bid to save the Investec series and prevent South Africa from taking their world number one status ended in a 51-run defeat to the Proteas at Lord's today.
Prior (73) produced the most exhilarating of three England 50s but, even after his reprieve on 67 when he was called back from almost the pavilion steps after holing out off a Morne Morkel no-ball, he could not get the hosts over the line.
It was nonetheless not until he was ninth out, caught at first slip off Vernon Philander (five for 30) with the second new ball, that England were finally done - bowled out for 294, when last man Steven Finn went to the very next delivery, in pursuit of an improbable 346.
It was testament to the never-say-die spirit in Andrew Strauss's team - minus Kevin Pietersen after he was controversially dropped here over the well-chronicled breakdown in his relationship with his employers and captain - that they should dispute the outcome well into the final session, and narrow the margin so admirably against superior opponents.
There is, however, no hiding the fact that since famously going to the top of the International Cricket Council rankings for the first time a year ago they have lost six out of 11 Tests - and won just three.
Prior, Jonathan Trott (63) and Jonny Bairstow (54) - following up his first-innings 95 and playing here only because of Pietersen's absence - kept England hopes alive of pulling off a ground and team record fourth-innings chase.
It seemed all realistic chance had gone with the mid-afternoon elimination of fifth-wicket pair Trott and Bairstow. But Prior, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann would not go quietly either.
The wicketkeeper-batsman, England's top runscorer from number seven in this three-match series, dug in against his free-flowing instincts in the early stages of his 107-ball 50. But he upped the ante expertly, with the tail - and as long as he remained, so too did English hope. Bairstow, and then Trott, had gone in the space of nine overs for the addition of only 12 runs - and at 146 for six, England seemed sure to fall well short.
That was reckoning without Broad and Prior, who responded with a stand of 62 until the former went just before tea. Broad strode out with licence to attack, and did so with some adventurous strokeplay - including a six pulled over square-leg off South Africa's pace spearhead Dale Steyn.
When he mis-hooked a Jacques Kallis bouncer down to long-leg, where Hashim Amla set himself to complete a low catch, it seemed England were surely once and for all running out of batsmen.
