CAPE TOWN, Jan 3: England opening batsman Andrew Strauss had his South African run spree cut short in the penultimate over of the second day as South Africa grabbed the advantage in the third Test at Newlands on Monday.

England were 95 for four at the close of play in reply to South Africa's first innings total of 441. Strauss, who scored centuries in both the first two Tests, moved smoothly to 45, after completing 1000 Test runs in only his tenth match, before he went on the drive against Makhaya Ntini and was bowled off an inside edge.

Ntini earlier sparked the England slide when he had Marcus Trescothick caught at backward point after he and Strauss put on 52 for the first wicket. Robert Key was out without scoring when he top-edged an attempted hook against Shaun Pollock to wicket-keeper AB de Villiers and South African debutant Charl Langeveldt claimed his first Test wicket when England captain Michael Vaughan edged a low catch to De Villiers.

Langeveldt was bowling with a broken bone in his left hand suffered while he was batting against Andrew Flintoff. Vaughan was also the subject of an injury scare. He had X-rays on his right hand after being hit while batting in the nets against England squad fast bowler James Anderson before play. There was no serious damage and he took the field 45 minutes into the day.

A century partnership for the eighth wicket between Jacques Kallis and Nicky Boje enabled South Africa to get close to captain Graeme Smith's target of 450. Kallis made 149, his eighth century in 14 Tests, while Boje was last man out after hitting an attacking 76.

Kallis batted for just over eight hours and faced 334 balls before pushing at a ball from Andrew Flintoff outside his off stump and edging a catch to wicket keeper Geraint Jones.

The left-handed Boje was the dominant partner, scoring 58 in a crucial stand of 104 with Kallis. Before Boje came in to play some sparkling strokes, the England bowlers kept the pressure on the batsmen, with wickets falling at regular intervals and Kallis unable to force the pace against defensive field placings.

Kallis added 68 runs on Monday, hitting only three boundaries off 146 balls. He hit 11 fours in his innings. Flintoff took the last four wickets to finish with four for 79. He also gave South African new cap and last batsman Charl Langeveldt a torrid introduction to Test cricket, hitting him on the left hand and body with some well-directed short-pitched bowling.

Boje made his 76 off 97 balls with 12 fours. Steve Harmison put the South African batsmen under early pressure, hitting Kallis on the right hand with the first ball of the day after Kallis resumed on 81.

In the same over he had Kallis falling to the turf to avoid a bouncer before beating South Africa's star batsman outside the off stump. Kallis survived but his overnight partner Hashim Amla was out in the sixth over of the day, adjudged leg before wicket against Matthew Hoggard for 25.

Harmison was rested after a hostile spell during which he conceded only nine runs in six overs and Kallis went to his 19th Test century when he punched Simon Jones, the new bowler, past point for four, then played him to midwicket for three. The century took 336 minutes and he faced 226 balls, hitting ten fours.

Kallis came into the match on a golden streak of form, having scored 1,667 runs at an average of 87.73 in his previous 13 Tests going back to the start of last season's home series against the West Indies. It was Kallis' eighth century during the period.

The England bowlers continued to make inroads, however, and left-arm spinner Ashley Giles, in his second over of the day, bowled AB de Villiers for 21 before Flintoff had Shaun Pollock caught behind for four.

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