Five key points about England defeat

1. Dismissal of Kevin Pietersen in England's first innings
The score was 251-2, Pietersen and Cook were looking secure, there was one over to go to the second new ball being available, and 11 overs left in the day. Jacques Kallis, well known for bowling an awkward bouncer, tried three in a row to Pietersen. The first was paddled for 2, the second was missed as Pietersen attempted a rather wild swish at the ball, the third was too tight for the uncontrolled shot and was gloved down the legside. England didn't lose any more wickets that night but the wicket of Pietersen denied England the chance to dictate and build an impregnable position the following day. If they had made 500 in the first innings, the outcome would have been totally different.

2. Poor English batting on the second morning
There was cloud cover early in the day and the ball swung a touch but it was no real excuse for England losing 3 wickets for 19 (Cook, Bopara, Bell) in the first hour. Bopara, in particular, played a feeble shot, a loose waft at a high bouncer from Steyn which reignited the debate about whether he really has the mental fortitude for the toughest tests.

3. Hashim Amla's approach to playing Graeme Swann
In the past Amla has been bowled-by off spinners driving against the spin. In recent times he has taken guard further across to the offside firstly ruling out lbw by making sure he was well outside the line when he hit the ball and also making sure that he consistently worked the ball with the spin unless it was very full. He mainly avoided cross bat shots against Swann, only occasionally sweeping and never from a straight line which wold again have invited the possibility of lbws.

4. England's lack of potency with the ball
The pitch was a bowler's graveyard, at least until the fifth day, and England relied on persistence hovering at speeds of around 80mph with any edges they did induce not carrying. Stuart Broad seems down on pace and effectiveness and Tim Bresnan lacks the penetration for such a benign surface. Steven Finn would have been a better bet (and I said so before the match.) Swann was hampered by his elbow injury and couldnt getvmuch real purchase. South Africa had the zest and speed of Steyn, the bounce and aggression of Morkel, and the spite of a wrist spinner - Tahir - to exploit a 5th day pitch.

5. The loss of four England wickets on the 4th evening
Alastair Cook got a good early delivery from vernon philander. that can always happen. But Jonathan Trott pushed at one he could have left, Andrew Strauss seemed to panic when Imran Tahir found some spin and bounce from round the wicket and went for an Injudicious sweep, and Kevin Pietersen was unsettled by a sequence of hostile deliveries from Morkel who then burst through a meek defensive stroke. In neither innings did Pietersen bat responsibly, nor in the nets where he spent half an hour on Saturday morning experimenting with flip shots and extravagant lofts over extra cover. He seemed to be preparing for a T20 game while, in the next net, Cook and Bell were applying themselves as usual. Pietersen remains brilliant but enigmatic. Kallis is a less exciting batsman but he rarely gives his wicket away.