England v South Africa, 3rd npower Test : Nel sparks England collapse on Test return

Andre Nel took three wickets and sparked a collapse by England on the first day of the third Test against South Africa at Edgbaston on Wednesday.
England crashed to 231 all out after winning the toss and batting on an easy-paced pitch. They were cruising at 68 for no wicket before Nel struck twice in two balls and they never recovered. South Africa were 38 for one at the close.
Having revealed his aggressive and sometimes impetuous alter ego during the build-up to the Test, Nel was predictably the target of verbal barbs from the crowd but his bowling backed up his claim that he liked to get the crowd going.
Nel took three for 47 and all-rounder Jacques Kallis three for 31 as England, trailing the four-match series 1-0, failed to post the imposing total sought by captain Michael Vaughan.
Making his return to the Test side in place of the injured Dale Steyn, Nel dismissed the first three men in the England batting order. He could have done even better because he twice induced edges from Ian Bell which fell just short of the slips. Bell went on to make 50.
Bell and Alastair Cook (76) made more than half their side's total. Nel made the breakthrough after Andrew Strauss and Cook had apparently drawn the sting from the South African bowling.
Strauss stepped on his stumps as he played Nel to the leg side to be out hit wicket for 20.
The out-of-form Vaughan pushed forward to the first ball he faced and was given out caught behind by umpire Aleem Dar in response to a frenzied appeal by Nel, even though wicketkeeper Mark Boucher did not join in. Vaughan looked surprised at the decision but replays indicated he might have got a faint edge to the ball.
Three overs later Kevin Pietersen tried to play Kallis to leg and the ball looped off his pad to Ashwell Prince at backward point. He was given out caught although the ball probably did not touch his bat. Ironically he could have been given out leg before wicket as replays showed the ball would have hit his stumps.
Cook made an impressive 76 off 125 balls before Essex county colleague Nel had him caught low down by a diving Kallis at second slip. The rest of the batting crumbled, apart from a cautious stand of 39 off 115 balls between Andrew Flintoff and Tim Ambrose.
The recall of Paul Collingwood at number six was unsuccessful with the batsman looking out of touch and making only four off 22 balls before edging Kallis to first slip.
Flintoff only showed his usual aggression after Ambrose and Ryan Sidebottom were out in quick succession but he had no soon hit Makhaya Ntini for six and four off successive balls than the innings ended with James Anderson and Monty Panesar were run out off successive balls. Both were trying to feed the strike to Flintoff.
Anderson fell to a direct hit from Prince at cover before Panesar turned the first ball he received to leg and attempted a suicidal second run because it was the last ball of the over.
The pitch lacked pace and the batsmen had plenty of time to put the ball away when the bowlers dropped the ball short. But both Nel and Kallis were able to get some swing in partly cloudy conditions.
South African captain Graeme Smith had to pass a fitness test on a sore back. He took his place but after spending most of the day on the field he was out for seven when he edged Flintoff to first slip.