Beware the sting in the tail. In taking the opportunity right at the end of the second day to advance their progress to a point where they can dominate the rest of this match, England may have lost the main weapon in their armoury.
Batting in indifferent light and, in a show of bravado laced with pragmatism, opting to continue after the umpires had given him the chance to leave the field, Darren Gough was hit on the right index finger by an express delivery from Allan Donald. The Yorkshireman twice received treatment and stayed to contribute an unbeaten 16 to an infuriating last wicket stand of 25 with Angus Fraser, but he was in considerable discomfort.
Gough went for an X-ray after the close and if it is a fracture as feared it may well prevent him from bowling.
It placed a firm dampener on a day when South Africa strained to claw back some respectability but England held firm. England ground their way from 249 for one overnight to 462 all out, a situation from which they cannot lose. Like having an ingrown toenail removed, it was painful for the most part but necessary. England will be delighted, though, that the pitch is increasingly awkward. Its scars hardened yesterday. Certainly if the ball swung less it also seamed more at a faster pace. Even without Gough to contend with, the South Africa batsmen will have their work cut out today.
The substance of the innings yesterday might have come from Michael Atherton, who after his heroics of the first day could have been expected to blunt the South African attack even more. But Donald, who went on to collect four wickets, had him caught behind in the day's third over before he could even add to his overnight 103.
Instead it came first of all from Alec Stewart and Nasser Hussain, who added 60 for the third wicket with the most adventurous batting of the day, making 49 and 35 respectively. Subsequently Graham Thorpe saw Shaun Pollock send his middle stump acrobatically towards the wicketkeeper and Mark Ealham was beaten in the flight and bowled by Paul Adams. But then came Mark Ramprakash, who gritted his teeth and also chiselled out 49 before Donald's first delivery with the third new ball pitched on middle and off and clipped the top of off.
