ENGLAND needed their Cape Town saviours Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell to bail them out after their horrendous start to the final Test against South Africa at The Wanderers.

The tourists lost captain Andrew Strauss to the first ball of the match, Jonathan Trott to the final ball of the second over - and with Morne Morkel taking three wickets and after a slice of controversy too, were 39 for four by the tenth over.

Needing only a draw to complete a famous series victory here, England could hardly have made things more difficult for themselves.

But Durham ace Collingwood (44no) and Bell, who had batted together for 57 overs to salvage a stalemate at Newlands last week, rose to the challenge again in an unbroken half-century stand which carried England to 100 at lunch.

Strauss - who had chosen to bat first - did not do a great deal wrong, falling to an astounding catch at short-leg by Hashim Amla off Dale Steyn.

He pushed a length ball off the face of the bat, from which he could have expected to collect a couple of runs.

But Amla dived to his right to take a one-handed catch and give South Africa a flying start to a match they must win.

After two overs, England were seven for two - Trott concluding a fretful, eight-ball innings when he played across a full-length ball to go lbw to Morkel.

Then just when it seemed Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook might be about to resuscitate their country, the number four fell to a mis-pull at Morkel - presenting an easy catch to mid-on.

Cook had already had two minor scrapes but was looking assured until he was given out lbw by umpire Tony Hill - and third official Daryl Harper, after a DRS appeal.

Despite video evidence which suggested Morkel (three for 20) was mighty close to overstepping, Harper ruled the delivery was legitimate and Cook must go to one which pitched just on leg-stump and straightened enough to have hit.

England's dressing room appeared aghast at the outcome, although it was arguably simply a case of a series of marginal calls all correctly going against the batsman.

It was the first true wicket ball to do damage.

But there was enough in a pacy pitch and in the atmosphere to make batting tough - and in the circumstances, even after a double change to debutants Ryan McLaren and Wayne Parnell bowling in tandem, Englands fifth-wicket pair fared well.

Collingwood, who had got moving with two fours in three balls off Steyn, also hooked Parnell and then Jacques Kallis for memorable sixes.

The second came from the final ball of an eventful session, therefore bookended by an instant wicket and a maximum which brought up England's hundred.