Flintoff heroics re-ignite a fire in English hearts

But yesterday, at a barely two-thirds full Edgbaston and with the nation ready to turn its back on cricket for another summer because South Africa were being given far too easy a ride, Flintoff re-emerged as 'Super Fred'. Suddenly, the game was full of drama, excitement and raw passion all over again.

Thank you, umpire Aleem Dar, for turning down Flintoff's stonewall certain lbw appeal against Jacques Kallis.

Thank you, Kallis, for standing defiant, at least for a few balls, in the face of a ferocious storm.

And thank you, Flintoff, for refusing to be denied.

Boy, didn't England, in particular, and the npower Third Test, in general, need an unforgettable passage of play like that to breathe life back into a series dying on its feet?

In an over reminiscent of the one he delivered to Australian captain Ricky Ponting on the same ground three years ago, Flintoff did everything but dismiss Kallis.

The fighting fit fast bowler tried to york South Africa's most experienced batsman. Then he bounced him before another yorker was only kept out by Kallis's boot - and all this at approaching 90 mph. A crowd that had been as flat as England's attack for most of the day joined Flintoff in bellowing out an appeal which Dar somehow rejected.

They booed, the bowler "chuntered" away at Dar while Jimmy Anderson sent down the next over and, four balls later, Kallis's off stump was uprooted by a beauty that swung away late. In the space of 10 deliveries Flintoff reminded everyone just what had been missing.

He bowled pretty well before that purple patch, mind you, in an attempt to keep England in a Test they had done their best to throw away through being bowled out for 231 on Wednesday.

Having reached 199 Test wickets by sending back Graeme Smith on the first evening, Fred would have had No200 much earlier yesterday but for the suffering Paul Collingwood dropping Neil McKenzie at slip. South Africa's opener still became the milestone victim, thanks to an lbw verdict, and AB De Villiers went in the book as wicket No 202 after hooking to long-leg.

But it was the working over of Kallis, and the eventual dismissal of a fine player for 64, that put a sparkle into the eyes of spectators; a sparkle that remained even when bad light finally halted play with South Africa in the lead, but not in total control, at 256 for six.

"I've worked hard to get to this point and it was nice to get some wickets," said Flintoff, who bowled 24 of England's 65 overs yesterday to walk away with four for 68 - his best figures since 2005, and with scope to add to that tally today.

"I'm reaping the rewards for everything I've done with [personal physio] Dave Roberts over the past six months after my ankle operation in October. A lot of the work I did with Dave was probably a lot more strenuous than coming in to bowl."

Some will say that 24 overs in a day, soon after bowling 40 in an innings at Headingley, represents a risky workload for a bowler with a history or breaking down. But Flintoff is hungry for action after so much inactivity and England were desperate for inspiration. Little wonder captain Michael Vaughan kept his main man going.

In any case, it would have taken more strength than Vaughan could muster to prise the ball from Flintoff 's hand after he was denied Kallis's wicket by Dar. "Emotion was running quite high at that point," admitted the bowler. "You've been out there all day, you're running in and the appeal gets turned down. But you can chunter as much as you want - you've got to get on with it.

"To get rid of Kallis next over was ideal. It means a lot to us to perform and do well for England because we want to get back into this match into the series."

The crowd was pretty keen to see England make a fight of it as well and there is no doubt Flintoff, in particular, fed off their passionate support during his duel with Kallis.

"I've enjoyed my time at home with the family - it's been great," said the allrounder, who has missed 17 Tests through injury. "But I've been playing cricket since I was 16, and playing Test cricket since I was 20, and you do get a buzz from the crowd and from the occasion.

"When you are sat home watching you feel left out."

With South Africa's batsmen complaining they could not pick up Flintoff's yorkers from the Pavilion End because of a low sightscreen, tempers almost boiled over last night as South Africans Mark Boucher and Ashwell Prince exchanged words with Alastair Cook and Jimmy Anderson.

But without Flintoff's heroics the visitors would have just carried on quietly about the business of beating England. Thank goodness he is back.