South Africa have played their way into a position from which they cannot possibly lose the third Test, but the pace of their batting at Old Trafford may have deprived them of the opportunity to kick England when they were down.

Unless he declares overnight, Hansie Cronje, together with Jonty Rhodes, will resume this morning with South Africa on 487 for four, barely having managed to double their score on a sluggish, unforgiving pitch that is showing signs of natural wear but little else to encourage the bowler.

It was not a sufficient total to convince Cronje that half an hour of Allan Donald against batsmen who have spent the better part of two days in the field might have paid dividends. Clearly he does not wish to bat more than once and believes that the deterioration in the pitch will be enough for Paul Adams to make life difficult for the England batsmen. We shall see.

For the solidity of his position, Cronje can thank above all Gary Kirsten, who was 98 not out overnight and was finally out in the final session for 210 after almost 11 hours of intense concentration if not great entertainment, having hit 24 fours and, out of the blue, a six hooked off Dominic Cork. But Jacques Kallis made 132, and Daryll Cullinan 75 before becoming Ashley Giles's first Test wicket after 32 overs of trying. The second wicket had yielded a record 238, the third 176.

This was Kirsten's day. Having batted all day on Thursday, he went on and on yesterday. And then he went on some more for good measure. On, indeed, for longer than any South African has ever done in Tests until finally, at 4.50pm, he hung his bat out limply at the second ball of a new spell from Angus Fraser and edged to Alec Stewart. The bowler raised his arms less in triumph than pure relief. Kirsten had made the fifth highest Test score by a South African after Graeme Pollock's 274, Jackie McGlew's 255, Eric Rowan's 236 and Dudley Nourse's 231, so he joins exalted company.

He walked off to general acclaim and well earned it was, although the innings will be remembered less for its quality and technique than for the powers of concentration shown. Even Kirsten admitted it was excruciating. In all he batted for 652 minutes, the longest innings played between the two countries, nine minutes longer even than Mike Atherton's rearguard action in Johannesburg three years ago.

Milestones were passed on the way with the regularity of an Edwardian drive down the Great North Road. In the second over of the day, Kirsten turned Dominic Cork for a single to reach his seventh Test century, in 368 minutes with 10 fours. He had scarcely seen the shine off.

At 168, after 576 minutes, he surpassed McGlew's national can record for the longest Test innings, made against Australia 40 years ago.

Nine overs after tea, Kirsten clipped Giles through midwicket for three scampered runs that took him to 200, the seventh South African to do so in a Test (Pollock and Nourse did so twice).