All over bar the shouting

It's all over bar the shouting, and there was certainly plenty of that, as the Barmy Army began to rev up their celebrations ahead of England's first series victory in South Africa for 40 years. "You're going to lose to Zimbabwe," they taunted, as their newly identified bete noire, Andre Nel, sat within tauntable range on the players' balcony. Despite Nel's best and most timely efforts, South Africa's stated aim of "going for broke" had ended as a busted flush, and thanks to Andrew Flintoff's allround interventions, there could yet be worse in store tomorrow.

The fourth day at Centurion contained, in a nutshell, all the elements that has made this such a compelling series for the spectator, and such an impossible one to predict for the pundit. At the start of play, South Africa had an outside chance of a winning position, although for that to come to pass, an improbable combination of factors had to fall into place. By lunch, the first and most crucial of those - an England batting collapse - had emphatically failed to materialise, and by mid-afternoon, as Flintoff began to tee off with the bat, it was England who assumed a position of some undeniable menace.

By the close, with two South African wickets in the bag already and a significant chunk of deficit still to wipe off, there is some talk locally of another "Wanderers Wobble". There is a tangible lack of clarity about South Africa's ambitions for the remainder of this match. They have been so eager to force the series-levelling victory that suddenly applying the brake and batting out for the draw may not be the easiest alternative. Andrew Hall's appearance at No. 3 exacerbated the mixed signals, but the sight of Jacques "Stonewall" Kallis spanking Ashley Giles back over his head for six was the best indicator yet that England have a match there for the winning tomorrow.

None of it would have been possible, however, had it not been for a significant change of approach from one of England's finest as well. Flintoff's batting performances in this series have been as disappointing as his bowling efforts have been unstinting, with his only innings of note being a roistering 60 at Durban. In his current form, he would not have much relished England's position at the resumption - still a nervy 133 runs adrift with just six wickets in hand and he himself not faced a ball when play was curtailed by last night's deluge. Given the gung-ho attitude that Graeme Smith had displayed on the previous evening, only a complete dashing of South Africa's hopes would suffice, if England were to sleep easily tonight.

That is precisely what Flintoff and Thorpe set out to do in a partnership of huge self-restraint and, for the South Africans at least, spirit-sapping determination. At a similarly pivotal juncture in the Cape Town Test, Flintoff had been set up a treat by Makhaya Ntini (10 off four balls, caught at point off the fifth), after which Ntini had claimed he was "never surprised" by how Flintoff approached his cricket. He might have been a touch taken aback today, as all brickbats were met with a broad face, and those whistling cuttable half-trackers were left well alone (well, most of them).

Their alliance was worth 141, and had all but broken South Africa's resolve by the time Thorpe had received the ball of the match, a searing leg-stump yorker, from Nel. Flintoff's subsequent demise was disappointing, but this time from a positive point of view. He had by now begun to cut loose, and was playing his natural matchwinning game. It was his earlier, awkward, matchsaving side that deserved to be more loudly applauded. In that regard, it was his most significant contribution since his century in Brian Lara's shadow in Antigua.

But talking of doing what he does best, it was Flintoff's barnstorming bowling that ensured that England would finish the day on a high. His promotion to the new ball duties was utterly on merit, and though it was doubtless brought on by fears about Steve Harmison's calf strain, it would have been the correct course of action regardless. For all Matthew Hoggard's heroics at Johannesburg, Flintoff arguably made the difference between victory and a draw, when he pinged Shaun Pollock a vicious blow on the helmet and dismissed him in the very same over. He is currently the man who can make things happen, and so he proved with two big incisions late in the day.

Harmison, meanwhile, remains lurking up England's sleeve, half-forgotten in the hubbub, and perhaps preferring it that way as well, for he has never been the type to crave the limelight. All series, Michael Vaughan has been proclaiming that his matchwinning spell is around the corner. He has one day to produce it, and his public expectations have never been lower. Factor in a muddled opposition who can't decide whether to attack or defend, and there could yet be the prospect of one last shot at redemption.