Lloyd said: ``We are very pleased to have got seven wickets but 250 runs on the board was more in keeping with our thoughts. They got about 50 more than we wanted.''

Cronje said of the Trent Bridge pitch: ``There was something in it for the bowler but it gave the batsman a chance too.''

Cronje's hundred, in his 50th Test, was his first for 3.5 years. ``It was also the first since I got married - so I blame my wife,'' he said with a smile, remembering that his wife, Bertha, was somewhere on the ground.

Cronje said he would have put England in to bat if he had won the toss. ``There was enough movement early on to justify it.''

There was fulsome praise from Lloyd for Angus Fraser, and an admission that some of the England attack had not measured up.

``It didn't work for Ian Salisbury but that's the nature of the leg-spinner. I suspect he has been happier than he is at the moment. However his real test will come tomorrow when he has to come on again,'' he said.

``We knew that particularly Cronje would go after him and South Africa have won that little battle.''

Lloyd felt that Alec Stewart had not over-bowled Andrew Flintoff on his debut - though his 15 overs were more than he had ever sent down in a day.

``You saw just a glimpse of what he is capable of. The lad has massive potential and he thoroughly enjoyed it. We might ask him to bowl another 15 overs tomorrow - but only as a last resort.''

Mike Rindel, the Northern Transvaal all-rounder, has been called up by South Africa as a replacement for the injured Lance Klusener.

Rindel, 34, is a one-day specialist who will strengthen the tourists' squad for next month's triangular series against England and Sri Lanka. He is expected to fly in early next week, although he is unlikely to be considered for the fifth Test at Headingley, which starts on Aug 6.