CENTURION: Graeme Swann batted England back into contention with a career-best innings of 85 on the third day of the first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park on Friday.

Swann and James Anderson (29) shared a record ninth wicket stand of 106 as England, who had been floundering at 242 for eight, stretched their first innings total to 356.

It gave South Africa a first innings lead of 62 but the hosts suffered a setback in the first over of their second innings when Anderson bowled Ashwell Prince for nought.

South Africa finished the day on nine for one, an overall lead of 71.

Swann, batting at number nine, followed a bowling haul of five for 110 with his off-spin by playing a crucial innings after his side had been in dire trouble.

It was his fourth Test half-century and he made his runs off 81 balls, with ten fours and two sixes.

No fewer than 76 of his runs were scored against the second new ball, which was taken just four runs into his partnership with Anderson.

South Africa tried to blast out the tailenders with short-pitched bowling but by the time they returned to the lengths which had put the recognised batsmen under pressure it was too late.

Swann played many strokes of genuine quality, particularly when left-arm spinner Paul Harris was called back into the attack.

Harris finished with five for 123, completing his five-wicket haul when Swann was last man out, caught on the deep midwicket boundary, but not before Swann had spoiled his figures with two sixes and some audacious reverse sweeps.

On a pitch of variable bounce, England struggled for much of the day.

Paul Collingwood made 50, falling to Harris one ball after reaching an 87-ball half-century when he edged the slow bowler to Jacques Kallis at slip.

Apart from being his side's main wicket-taker, Harris tied up one end during an unbroken spell of 24 overs, enabling South African captain Graeme Smith to use his fast bowlers in short spells on a hot day.

The fast bowlers operated from the southern Hennops River end where several balls behaved unpredictably, including one by Makhaya Ntini, who bowled England captain Andrew Strauss for 46 in the sixth over of the day with a ball which shot through low and hit the off stump as Strauss played back.

Earlier in the over one ball kept low and shaved the off stump while another lifted sharply.

Shortly before play, one-time rural herd boy Ntini received a letter from former South African President Nelson Mandela congratulating him on playing in his 100th Test match.

Mandela wrote: "What you have achieved goes beyond the number of matches you played; you have demonstrated, especially to the youth of our country, that everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do."

There was controversy when Stuart Broad was eighth out following a successful review of a leg before wicket decision after he had been given not out by umpire Aleem Dar.

There was a lengthy delay and Broad appeared to protest that the South Africans had only called for the review after a signal from the dressing room after a television replay had been seen.