06 January 2005	Thursday	24 Ziqa'ad 1425

CAPE TOWN, Jan 5: Nicky Boje took two wickets for 25 in 20 overs and emerged as South Africa's key bowler as they chased a victory over England in the third Test on Wednesday.

England, who need an unlikely 501 to win, were 151 for five at the close on the fourth day.

Graham Thorpe was 22 not out with Geraint Jones on two. Earlier, the home side, in total control but seeking quick runs, slumped from 184-3 to 222-8 declared but that still left them ideally placed to square the five-match series at 1-1.

England lost their first wicket to the second ball of the innings without a run on the board when Marcus Trescothick attempted to work a delivery from Shaun Pollock to leg and sent a leading edge looping to Hashim Amla at silly mid-off.

Boje took the key wicket of Andrew Strauss in the eighth over before tea when he trapped him in front for 39 to end a second-wicket stand of 68 with Key. Key was out stumped with the score on 103 and nine balls later England were 105 for four when Vaughan rashly pulled a ball from Makhaya Ntini to Jacques Rudolph at deep backward square leg.

Thorpe and Andrew Flintoff kept the South Africans at bay for 71 minutes before Pollock had Flintoff caught behind for 20.

SCOREBOARD



South Africa (1st innings 441):



England (1st innings 163): 



South Africa (2nd innings, overnight 184-3):



G.Smith lbw b Hoggard                  2



H.Gibbs c G.Jones b Flintoff           24



J.Rudolph c Key b S.Jones              23



J.Kallis run out (Giles)               66



B.Dippenaar c Vaughan b Flintoff       44



N.Boje run out (Vaughan)               4



H.Amla c G.Jones b S.Jones             10



A.de Villiers c Giles b Harmison       10



S.Pollock not out                      3



M.Ntini not out                        0



Extras: (b-7 lb-12 nb-7 w-10)          36



Total: (for 8 wkts dec, 69.3 overs)    222



Fall of wkts: 1-2 2-62 3-101 4-184 5-190 6-203 7-215 8-219.



Bowling: Hoggard 10-0-46-1 (w-2), Harmison 19-3-55-1 (w-6), 
Flintoff 18-1-46-2 (nb-6 w-2), Giles 13-2-41-0, 
S.Jones 9.3-4-15-2 (nb-1).



England (2nd innings):



M.Trescothick c Amla b Pollock         0



A.Strauss lbw b Boje                   39



R.Key st De Villiers b Boje            41



M.Vaughan c Rudolph b Ntini            20



G.Thorpe not out                       22



A.Flintoff c De Villiers b Pollock     20



G.Jones not out                        2



Extras: (b-2 nb-5)                     7



Total: (for 5 wkts, 77 overs) 	151



Fall of wkts: 1-0 2-68 3-103 4-105 5-146.



To bat: A.Giles, M.Hoggard, S.Jones, S.Harmison.



Bowling: Pollock 17-8-26-2 (nb-4), Ntini 15-3-30-1 (nb-1), 
Langeveldt 11-2-31-0, Boje 20-10-25-2, Kallis 12-4-26-0, 
Smith 2-0-11-0. -Reuters