Spineless England turn in one more shambolic display (but Sky still think they're worth £300m)

Not-so-golden boy: skipper Michael Vaughan trudges off after being caught behind for a first-ball duck

England served up another batting capitulation at Edgbaston to leave South Africa in charge of the third npower Test and within touching distance of an historic series win.

Having rejigged the team after the Headingley debacle to include an extra batsman, this setback represents a shambolic new low point for England this summer.

On the day it emerged that the ECB are poised to announce a new four-year broadcasting deal with Sky Sports worth a staggering £300million, critics will question who would pay to watch the national team when they resemble such a rabble.

Captain Michael Vaughan's wretched form continued with a first-ball duck and, with Kevin Pietersen and the returning Paul Collingwood also succumbing for single-figure scores, England slumped to 231 all out.

After England's failure to take advantage of winning the toss and batting first on a good pitch, South Africa reached 38 for one at the close of a one-sided day.

Incredibly, coach Peter Moores tried to play down the extent of England's dire display. 'After getting a decent start, we're disappointed that we didn't push on,' he said. 'That's the score we've got to work with. The team have to show character and get stuck in. That's what we'll do.'

England, who made so much of team unity at Headingley, were reduced to rowing among themselves in the last hour.

Andrew Flintoff reacted with fury when Monty Panesar ran himself out first ball to leave the all-rounder stranded on 36 not out.

And in the field, Ryan Sidebottom screamed 'wake up', then 'dive' at the spinner as he failed to prevent boundaries.

Moores said: 'Sport is what it is - you go out there together and get stuck in. Sometimes you cajole each other and sometimes you shout at each other.'

He also offered a bizarre defence of Collingwood's recall, saying: 'He's playing pretty well in practice.'

Despite the current problems, Sky will pay handsomely for the right to show England matches live until the Ashes summer of 2013, beating off competition from Setanta.

The deal is expected to be rubber-stamped at Monday's meeting of the ECB. The BBC had been expected to be genuine bidders but felt the price of live Test cricket is now beyond them. Five will continue to show Test highlights.

While England were in disarray on the field, there was further embarrassment off it. When Nottinghamshire's Australian seamer Darren Pattinson - whose selection at Headingley caused such a stir - was asked on a Melbourne radio station if he thought he would play for the country of his birth again, the Grimsby-born 29- year-old said: 'Honestly? No.

'A big part of it is wanting to be in Australia for six months and playing for the (Victoria) Bushrangers. I've got a meeting with the chairman of selectors (Geoff Miller) in a few days. But my family want to live in Melbourne.'

Within hours, Notts released a statement in which Pattinson said: 'I've set myself new goals which include earning further recognition for England.'