South Africa 322-4 (105 overs): CLOSE OF PLAY: The light is offered, and the South African batsmen accept it. The end of play. South Africa's day.
South Africa 322-4 (104 overs): I say "it may be a tricky spell for South Africa..." It obviously won't be, because the ball isn't doing anything, and Prince and de Villiers have got their feet under the table.
South Africa 315-4 (102 overs): 11 overs left to play. It's a bit gloomy and overcast, but there's no reason why we shouldn't fit them in. Might be a tricky little spell for South Africa.
6.22 - The players are out, and play is about to get underway again...
6.06 - The news is that play will restart at 6.25pm, if they believe it is fit to play. Great stuff.
5.50: There will be an inspection at about 6.10; play has to start at 6.15 at the latest, otherwise stumps will be called.
South Africa 314-4 (101.3): The players go off for bad light...just in time, as a sharp shower comes lashing down...it's suddenly gone very dark at Headingley.
South Africa 311-4 (101 overs): Still an enormous cloud on the horizon, but the drizzle has disappeared and play is continuing. South Africa have a 108-run lead at the moment; the England batsmen must be thinking they are going to have to bat for a couple of days to save this match.
South Africa 305-4 (99 overs): There is a spot of rain in the air, although strangely it is still quite bright...It all depends on which direction this cloud is going to move in...
South Africa 297-4 (98 overs) : It is getting a bit gloomy out there...A huge cloud is looming over the West Stand...only time will tell if it has plans to disrupt play... The movement that England were getting with the new ball has all-but disappeared now. Pattinson is trundling in, without much penetration.
South Africa 290-4 (95 overs): Pattinson comes into the attack for just his 14th over of the innings; Vaughan hasn't shown much faith in him so far. It clearly wasn't a selection he was completely happy with.
South Africa 282-4 (92 overs): The crowd did their best to lift England with the arrival of the second new ball, but they have sort of lost interest a bit at the moment. Frustrating times for England. Broad is into the attack; he beats Prince with a rising ball outside off-stump.
South Africa 270-4 (88 overs): Anderson beats the edge of AB's bat as he just finds a bit of movement in the air; nothing too spectacular, though. England definitely look more threatening with the new ball, though; they are as close to a breakthrough at the moment than they have been all day...
South Africa 262-4 (86 overs): Decent first over after tea from Anderson; he gets an edge from AB, but the ball goes down and Flintoff stops well at second slip.
South Africa 262-4: TEA: South Africa are all over England at the moment; Prince takes an unbeaten ton into the interval, with AB on 44 not out.
South Africa 262-4 (85 overs): PRINCE MAKES HIS TON! Ashwell Prince follows his ton at Lord's with another century at Headingley! He tucks Anderson away for a single to fine leg, and celebrates with a roar, arms aloft. He is in some fantastic nick.
South Africa 254-4 (83 overs): Flintoff has a decent LBW appeal turned down by Bowden...good decision, the ball pitched outside leg stump. Prince responds with a super four down the ground to move to 99...
South Africa 247-4 (81 overs) England take the new ball... Anderson gets the new cherry...he bangs one into Prince, but the little left-hander has been good on the pull all innings and rocks back to send it flying to the square-leg fence to move into the 90s...
South Africa 240-4 (77 overs): There is a real sense that the next hour represents England's only chance to win this game; they simply have to take wickets with the new ball. They will have two chances with it, before and after tea; if they don't and South Africa go on to make 400+, England will have no chance.
South Africa 231-4 (74 overs): Strauss fails to pick the ball up as runs round from mid-wicket on a run-out chance; only a half-chance, but the sort of thing that England are going to need to take, because they have not looked remotely like getting a wicket any other way this afternoon.
South Africa 224-4 (71 overs): Monty gets ridiculously excited when a throw from mid-off hits the stumps with AB sprinting in...the batsman is clearly four yards in, but Monty is jumping up and down in front of Umpire Bowden. Billy wearily shakes his head.
South Africa 211-4 (68 overs): England have 12 overs to grit out before the new ball becomes available to them; they will definitely take it. And if they aren't able to make significant breakthroughs, they will have to get into the mindset that this is a game they will be battling to save over the next couple of days.
South Africa 202-4 (66 overs): Prince lofts an even bigger six over long-on from Monty, before a controlled outside edge down to third man brings three more. AB then sweeps well through square-leg for four. If Monty was brought on to bring a measure of control to the attack, it isn't a plan that is working...
South Africa 192-4 (63 overs) Prince brings up his 50 with a fine six over long-on off the bowling of Panesar. And something to note: Of the 15 times that Prince has reached 50 before in Test cricket, eight times he has gone on to make 100 or more...
South Africa 186-4 (62 overs): No real turn for Panesar, although he does have an LBW shout rejected by Umpire Bowden: correctly, too, because it was missing leg stump by a mile. That doesn't usually stop Monty appealing, though.
South Africa 177-4: Monty is into the attack for the first time this innings as Prince and AB just manage a couple of boundaries to edge the run-rate up; they are closing in on a first innings lead here, and Prince on another Test half-century...
South Africa 160-4: Ashwell Prince does some sprinting on the spot in an effort to get himself moving and keyed-up at the start of what he hopes will be another long session at the crease. He's a dogged little batsman, a real cockroach - almost impossible to get rid of.
South Africa 159-4: The afternoon session is underway...Can England get in amongst the middle order?
South Africa 158-4: LUNCH: Pattinson gets his first Test wicket in England's only breakthrough of the morning...South Africa aren't in any rush, certainly, but they are edging closer to a first-innings lead - especially with the strength of their lower-order.
South Africa 152-4: Not long to go until lunch; South Africa have made slow, slow progress this morning, but they will be delighted with the loss of only one wicket. Still no sign of Panesar coming into the attack as Vaughan persists with his seamers.
South Africa 143-4: AB de Villiers is the new batsman...he can expect plenty of stick following his blatant cheating yesterday. He gets off the mark with a tentative prod to another Pattinson full-toss that he almost chips back to the bowler...
South Africa 143-4: GOT HIM! PATTINSON MAKES THE BREAKTHROUGH! A shoddy ball, a full toss, raps Amla on the pad, England go up....and the finger goes up! Cue great celebrations from the home side...while replays show that the ball would have gone on to miss leg stump...
South Africa 129-3: After several overs of pestering the umpires, England have finally managed to persuade them to change the ball...Will this one swing? Pattinson is the first man to get the chance to find out...and the answer is...not a jot.
South Africa 128-3: Still no sign of any lateral movement for the England bowlers as Prince and Amla edge along quite comfortably. Must be time for Monty soon, you'd have thought. The skies are full of clouds, but the wind is rushing them across before they can do any damage.
South Africa 114-3: Pattinson is handed his first over of the day, and just the fourth of his innings; you just get the feeling that poor Darren might end up being the sort of one-Test wonder that England used to specialise in.
South Africa 107-3: An interesting comment from our Deutschie friend arttidesco, who asks about Flintoff's performance in the wet. Well, my friend, he had a bit of a nightmare in the wet at the World Cup in the Caribbean; falling off a pedalo at 2am in the morning doesn't constitute Freddie's finest hour.
South Africa 106-3: Flintoff is partnering Anderson this morning; he is peppering Amla with plenty of shorter balls, but the South African looks fairly comfortable, to be honest. England will be desperate for some cloud cover to try and get the ball swinging, but it has been straighter than Clint Eastwood at the moment.
South Africa 105-3: Prince gets things started with a confident cover drive for four as Anderson goes a little wide in his opening over of the day. The pitch, the experts reckon, will still offer a bit to the bowlers, although it may have quickened up a little. It is a very fresh and breezy morning in Leeds, but the skies are quite bright now.
11.15: Here we go! The England players are out, the stage is set!
10.57 - Play will start at 11.15am, the umpires have announced...providing there are no further showers...
10.53 - Oooh, sorry folks. Another heavy shower has swept across the ground, and the covers are swiftly brought back on.
10.45 - The weather news is that a shower passed over the ground just after 10 o'clock, but it has cleared up now. We will probably start on time; the covers are off as I write. There may be one or two further showers throughout the day, but hopefully nothing too serious.
10.30 - Poor Matthew Hoggard believes that his time as an England player has passed; the dog-loving, moor-walking Yorkshire man said: "I have been getting better and better this season, I am not bowling like a bag of spanners," and that the selection of Darren Pattinson probably signalled the end.
10.15 - There has been plenty of chat overnight about those two catching controversies: does Cowers' loyal band of followers have any vitriol to spew forth on the messageboards?
10.00 - Hi Cow Corner Cricket Loving Friends! Good morn; hope you all had a fun Friday night? I had a rather pleasant meal out at a delightful Italian restaurant called Angelo's. I had tagiatelli meatballs. Mmmmm.
A few showers around Headingley this morning; we might have a slightly delayed start. Whatcha gonna do? Sue me?