Lancashire all-rounder Flintoff smashed 95, including four huge sixes and 12 fours, in tandem with the tail as England gained a 120-run first-innings advantage in their quest to level the series.

When bad light aborted play nine overs early, Michael Vaughan's team had prised out six wickets and are in arrears by just 65 runs.

Despite a stellar performance, however, Flintoff was not spared more sledging from the South African fielders during a breathtaking 99-run stand, to which Steve Harmison contributed just three.

He has now struck three consecutive Test half-centuries following his whirlwind 142 in defeat at Lord's last month.

"It has been a competitive series, there have been a few words said and I don't think they think I am very good to be honest," joked Flintoff. "They question every thing I do.

"But I have enjoyed it, they are a hard bunch of characters, at you all the time, and it has made for good fun in the middle."

Just how hard a bunch of characters the tourists are will be tested on Monday - weather permitting - as England look to wrap up an incredible turnaround, having been toiling in the field on the first day when South Africa were 290 for one.

Never before have England conceded more than 450 in the first innings of a Test on home soil and won - and they have only twice done so overseas, against Australia during the 1894-95 tour and West Indies at Port-of-Spain in 1967-68.

Flintoff built on Marcus Trescothick's double century and a returning hundred from Graham Thorpe, with some staunch support from Harmison, after Martin Bicknell succumbed to the third delivery of the morning from Shaun Pollock.

"When we went out this morning the aim was to get as close to 600 as possible and when Steve came out he told me he would hold his end up for me," said Flintoff.

"In between overs he was the one talking to me, telling me to get my head down a bit and not give it away."

"The one thing I have been striving to do is perform consistently with the bat and I have done that, scored a few runs and got closer to where I want to be," he added.

"I have always had it in me, it was just finding it.

"I feel as I have matured as a batsman, worked hard and discovered what it takes to score runs at the highest level."

The side's temperament was equally under scrutiny after the emphatic 191-run defeat at Headingley which put the tourists 2-1 ahead a fortnight ago - and a full house voiced their displeasure at South Africa's run gathering on the first day here.

But Flintoff insisted: "I don't think our character was in question, it is a side full of characters and we have shown it today.

"At Headingley we probably didn't do ourselves justice but we have come back strongly.

"After Thursday when there was a few harsh things said about us and the crowd weren't very much behind us, it has been nice over the past three days to swing around."

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