First came Lance Klusener and then, in a glorious afternoon counterattack, Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain. Thus far this Test match has been played at breakneck pace and by the close of the second day England, who had seemed in a forlorn position only hours before when the South African innings finally came to a close midway through the afternoon, had hauled themselves back into contention.

It was a superb and heartening response from England who, having put South Africa in to bat and seen them reduced to 146 for five on the first day, had then conceded 304 runs for the last five wickets. Timidity might once have been the response in the face of such adversity. Instead they blazed away as the South African pace attack wasted the new ball by bowling too short and were hooked and cut witheringly for their pains.

Mark Butcher was lost early on, dragging a leaden-footed flay outside off stump on to his wicket. But Hussain, adrenalin pumping, stormed to the crease, hooked his second ball from Shaun Pollock for four, his fifth and sixth for six and was up and running.

Atherton, meanwhile, timing the ball sweet as a nut, four times in an over cuffed Allan Donald away to the boundary, thrice square on the off side and once off his toes. Only the fast and furious debut boy Nantie Hayward troubled them, once, in the day's final over, clocking 94mph.

The batsmen quietened later as the ball became softer and the field spread but at the end of it all they had added 134 for the second wicket in 43 overs, the first hundred coming from barely 22 of them. Of these Hussain, a dirge of a century under his belt in Durban, had 70 (nine fours and two sixes) and Atherton, memories of his Johannesburg nightmare still fresh in his mind, had cast out the demons with 58 including nine fours.

Earlier, and in scintillating fashion, South Africa had ploughed on to reach 450, the eighth time in nine starts that they have topped 400 in the first innings and the seventh in a row. The brilliant uncomplicated Klusener, 63 overnight, went on to reach 174, his second Test century, before he miscued a slow full toss from Darren Gough. It had been a monumental effort from him, lasting five hours and containing 25 fours and two sixes. No bowler escaped the lash, meted out to the accompaniment of It's A Heartache from the St George's Park brass band. Gough, denied the new ball first thing and surely smarting from the experience, conceded 107 runs at five an over. Andy Caddick went for 100 also without adding to his single wicket, and Phil Tufnell suffered from some merciless hitting towards the end of his 42 overs, although he claimed two further wickets to add to his first-day haul to finish with four for 124.

After Andrew Flintoff removed Pollock early on (how does he bat above Mark Boucher?), the eighth-wicket partnership with Boucher then produced 119, although the wicketkeeper ought to have been given out caught off the glove from Caddick when only 11 and the score 294 for seven. Neither that nor Stewart's later fumble helped England's cause.

There is news of Alan Mullally. After consultation with four different specialists, a scan has revealed an old rib fracture which has calloused, and it is this which is causing him the discomfort. With rest he should be fit to bowl in 10 days' time, although that means no active cricket before the back-to-back Tests over Christmas and the new year.