England's attack produced a stirring fightback to leave the third npower Test hanging in the balance after a thrilling fourth day at Trent Bridge.

Dismissed for 118 - their lowest Test total on home soil since slumping to 110 all out against South Africa at Lord's five years ago - England looked on course for another big defeat with the tourists needing 202 for victory.

But just as South Africa seemed set to claim a stranglehold on the series, England reduced them to 63 for five when bad light stopped play with 11 overs remaining.

It was a stunning display from the England seam attack with Durham paceman Steve Harmison bravely getting through an eight-over spell after suffering a right calf strain the previous day.

Umpire Daryl Harper gave South Africa captain Graeme Smith leg before in the ninth over when television replays suggested he had got an inside edge onto his pads.

That early breakthrough from James Kirtley was followed by an almost identical decision, this time a correct one, in his next over to remove Jacques Rudolph before he had scored.

Kirtley's superb early spell prompted England to gamble on Harmison, who had earlier been cleared after being sent for a scan, and he responded by removing Herschelle Gibbs for the second time in the match.

Despite displaying his discomfort at the end of each delivery stride, Harmison caused difficulties with his extra bounce and frustrated Gibbs into an ill-judged pull shot from outside off stump. It resulted in an easy catch for Ashley Giles at mid-on.

With James Anderson removing Jacques Kallis and Boeta Dippenaar, the fourth day saw 14 wickets fall in only 67 overs and left the tourists needing a further 139 runs on a tense final day.

England began the day on nought for one leading by 83 and believing that a lead of around 250 would prove hard to chase, even by South Africa's lengthy batting line-up.

Perhaps the deteriorating pitch prayed on England's minds because South Africa made inroads at regular intervals and very few batsmen fell to deviations or inconsistent bounce.

Instead, Shaun Pollock gave an object lesson in the art of seam bowling to dismiss England for their lowest total since Australia set the tone for last winter's Ashes series by removing them for 79 in the opening Test at Brisbane.

Pollock claimed six for 39 and pressurised England's batsmen into almost elementary mistakes and set the tone for South Africa's later efforts, giving the tourists an early lift by claiming the key wicket of captain Michael Vaughan in the seventh over of the day.

That prized scalp, which was achieved with Vaughan pushing forward and edging behind to give wicketkeeper Mark Boucher the first of four catches, prompted a remarkable England collapse with only three batsmen - Nasser Hussain, Andrew Flintoff and Ashley Giles - making double figures.

That set the tone for England's capitulation with all-rounder Andrew Hall again also contributing with the ball.

He took wickets with his first two balls, bowling Mark Butcher with a delivery which nipped back to clip his off-stump and winning a leg before decision against Ed Smith with his next ball.

Those two wickets increased South Africa's confidence of running through England's line-up, underlined with Alec Stewart giving a tame catch behind off Kallis before Hussain's 113 minutes of defiance was ended when Pollock trapped him leg before.

Once Flintoff had pushed Pollock tamely to point four overs later, having threatened a repeat of his Lord's epic by launching Kallis for six, it was left to England's tail-end to avoid only their fourth total under a hundred against South Africa.

Only Ashley Giles' determined 21 prevented that from happening with Pollock claiming two of the last three wickets and leaving South Africa with what seemed a comfortable target to chase.

But the energy and enthusiasm of England's inexperienced but determined attack ensured further twists and turns for the Trent Bridge crowd and set up an exciting final day, which could provide the pivotal action of the series.