England hold on for dramatic draw
England's final partnership defied South Africa for 19 balls as the tourists held on for a dramatic draw in the first Test at Centurion.
In scenes reminiscent of England's backs-to-the-wall Cardiff survival at the start of last summer's Ashes, this time it was Durham team-mates Paul Collingwood and Graham Onions who would not be moved as England finished on 228 for nine.
It fell to Onions to face the last over from Makhaya Ntini - the South Africa paceman taking part in his 100th Test - and with 10 men in catching positions around the bat, the England number 11 proved equal to the task.
South Africa-born batsmen Kevin Pietersen (81) and Jonathan Trott (69) had earlier done most of the work to stave off a victory push from their native country in a fourth-wicket stand of 145.
But after Pietersen was needlessly run out and Trott was the first of five wickets to fall for 13 runs in 11 overs to the second new ball, the tourists were left clinging on desperately.
Pietersen shot himself and his team in the foot immediately after tea by calling for a rash single and refusing to turn back when his push-drive towards mid-off failed to beat Friedel de Wet in his follow-through.
Trott did not move from the non-striker's crease and Pietersen was run out by the length of the pitch.
The impression that he had already done enough to ensure a stalemate was soon to be revised too, after it took only eight deliveries with the second new ball to at last see off Trott.
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De Wet (four for 55) got one to kick viciously from short of a length at the number four and result in an outstanding one-handed catch by AB de Villiers, diving to his left at third slip.
Ian Bell's departure to more pace and bounce from Test debutant De Wet and another brilliant diving catch, by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, soon followed as this seesaw match delivered an appropriate late twist.
Matt Prior also fell caught behind to De Wet and when Stuart Broad again got the wrong end of an umpire review decision - adjudged to have edged a Paul Harris delivery to Boucher - there were still seven overs left for the hosts to strike just twice more.
Graeme Swann went lbw on the front foot to Morne Morkel, but Collingwood and Onions kept their cool to reach the close.
All the nail-biting had seemed a world away while England's fourth-wicket pair were earlier profiting from their contrasting styles - Pietersen the more adventurous throughout on his way past a 50 which took only 76 balls, to Trott's in 135.
The notional 364 South Africa set England to win appeared out of reasonable calculations from a start-of-play 11 for one.
It was still a fanciful scenario two sessions later, and then terminally so from the moment Pietersen ran himself out.
With nightwatchman James Anderson gone early this morning, Alastair Cook was also out of the equation after a stand of 11 runs in more than 10 overs with Trott.
Anderson lasted only until the third over of a bright but cooler day before flicking a catch behind down the leg-side off De Wet.
New batsman Trott's temperament is perhaps his biggest asset and he was entirely unconcerned at having to wait 13 balls to put a run against his name.
Harris was encouraged in his first over when he turned one sharply past Trott's outside edge.
Then Cook, facing his first ball of the day from the slow left-armer, pushed forward and gloved more turn - via his pad - into the hands of Graeme Smith at backward short-leg.
But from a dicey 27 for three, Trott and Pietersen shut out their hosts for 43 overs and gradually raised hopes that England could close out the contest and therefore arrive in Durban for the Boxing Day Test 0-0 with three to play.
Trott needed more than an hour before he managed his first four and pushed the boundaries of strokelessness before lunch - despite the exaggerated attacking fields set by Smith, especially to Harris.
Pietersen kept England moving, though, and his only moment of significant fortune came on 39 when De Wet would surely have had him lbw with a 'grubber' had umpire Steve Davis not correctly spotted a marginal no-ball.
Trott survived one close call too when, on 31, he tried to clip a ball from Harris into the on-side only to see it loop up off his boot to gully.
The third umpire was required to rule no compelling evidence of either a catch or lbw.
The inevitable England wobble was still some way off.
But when it came the tourists could at least take some confidence from somehow resisting against an attack which is nonetheless likely to be significantly reinforced for the remainder of the series with the return to fitness of Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis.
By the time Trott finally went, by keeping out 211 balls he had bought just enough breathing space for the last five wickets.
He provided few if any thrills along the way, but captain Andrew Strauss for one could be mighty grateful to England's newest South Africa-born recruit for staving off a raft of questions about the wisdom of bowling first or picking an extra batsman in this series opener.
South Africa, meanwhile, have announced a 14-man squad for the second and third Tests.
Wayne Parnell's name is the only one to drop out from the 15 initially picked for Centurion.
That means Ryan McLaren, Alviro Petersen and Steyn - missing for the first Test because of a hamstring injury - are the three players back in the reckoning, along with the current XI.
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