South Africa Surge To Sizeable Lead

Ashwell Prince tormented England with another hundred as South Africa took a firm grip on the second npower Test at Headingley.

Left-hander Prince, 31, extended his tendency to convert half-centuries into three figures with an unbeaten 129, the ninth time he has done so in 16 attempts during his Test career.

His latest effort, following his 101 in the draw at Lord's last week, meant the South Africans closed a second day shorn of 14 overs by bad light and rain, 119 runs ahead with six wickets intact.

And with three days still remaining in Leeds, all the series momentum, which was English for the first three days of the draw at Lord's, is now with the tourists.

Even the British weather has been favourable to their cause, and they have made the most of their advantage.

Having won the toss under heavy cloud cover yesterday morning, it dissipated to provide better batting conditions for the first day's final session and the majority of today.

Prince celebrated his latest landmark moments before tea when he tucked a James Anderson off his hip for a single.

His ability to rotate the strike, allied to excellent running between the wickets with fifth-wicket partner AB de Villiers, further strained England limbs, following their three days in the field during the first Test.

They have already shared 179 runs of South Africa's 322 for four and threaten to carry their side out of range of Michael Vaughan's men.

To compound English misery, their only success of the second day came via a dubious leg before wicket decision, which provided a maiden international success for surprise debutant Darren Pattinson.

Apparently intent on preventing England's slow left-armer from settling - after a belated introduction in the 59th over - Prince twice struck Panesar for six.

The first, after he dashed up the wicket, completed a 120-ball 50 which also contained seven fours.

He hit the next one from the crease, to wider long-on as the South Africans calmly crept into credit.

In spite of those two maximums, the general scoring rate for the day remained below three per over.

However, England did not create a chance despite the best efforts of Anderson and Andrew Flintoff, Vaughan's go-to bowlers, both at the start of the day and again with the new ball before the second interval.

Their one breakthrough came in the morning session when 29-year-old Pattinson won a fortuitous lbw decision against Hashim Amla.

There was little obvious help for England's four-strong seam attack, with minimal swing available to them and nothing notable in terms of sideways movement or unpredictable bounce.

But Pattinson deemed that irrelevant when he persuaded Australian umpire Daryl Harper to raise the finger after hitting Amla on the pads with a full toss angled down the leg-side, which appeared to be sliding wide of its target.

England, of course, thought they had Amla on nine last night - before controversy kicked in and Michael Vaughan's 'catch' at mid-off was scrubbed out.

Instead the number three stayed to share a 67-run stand with Prince, and there must have been added frustration among the hosts' ranks as Amla began to time the ball sweetly for boundaries square on either side of the wicket.

Vaughan had opened up with Flintoff and Anderson this morning, and summoned Stuart Broad as his first change before allowing Pattinson an opportunity - in the 38th over of the innings - to try again down the hill after his new-ball spell of 3-0-16-0 from the Kirkstall Lane end.

Prince pulled Pattinson's sixth ball of his second burst for four, however, after a period of circumspection.

Although the left-hander found the rope with a square drive from the second ball of the day from Anderson only 10 runs came from the opening seven overs.

Confronted with sunshine following early morning showers today, Amla then took his toll on youngster Broad in particular.

He greeted him with a flash to the backward point boundary and then struck the same bowler for two fours in his next over, another cut followed by a handsome clip through midwicket.

Batting conditions were certainly an improvement on the slate grey of day one but although sunshine bathed the ground at the scheduled start time of 11am, the showers earlier this morning meant a 15-minute delay.