JOHANNESBURG, Jan 18: Despite his match winning performance in the fourth Test against South Africa seamer Matthew Hoggard considers himself England's "donkey" bowler.

Hoggard took a career-best seven for 61 to spur England to a 77-run win over South Africa here on Monday to give the tourists a 2-1 series lead going into the final Test at Centurion.

"It's the donkey work, really," Hoggard, who took 12 wickets in the match, told a news conference on Tuesday with reference to his role in the team. "It's about putting the ball in the right areas consistently. Shaun Pollock does it for South Africa and Glenn McGrath does it for Australia.

"We've also got the big lads like Flintoff and Harmison to run in and terrify them if you need to." Hoggard, who has taken 141 Test wickets at 30.90 apiece, said his understanding of his role in Michael Vaughan's side gave him security.

"You don't feel threatened that if you don't get wickets you are going to be left out of the side," he said. Hoggard played in South Africa for Free State in the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons, and believes that experience was standing him in good stead. The 28-year-old is England's leading wicket-taker in the series with 24 victims. -Reuters