Mitchell, the notoriously uncompromising Yorkshire batsman and coach, was tending to his rose bushes when Yorkshire's Brian Sellers was sent to ferry him from Baildon to Leeds after Maurice Leyland had been forced to withdraw at the 11th hour with an attack of lumbago.

Mitchell, however, was not of a mind to put down his secateurs. "Just let me tidy me'sen up a bit," he finally relented, whereupon Sellers drove him to Headingley at such breakneck speed that Mitchell is said to have feared for his life.

'Ticker' got to the ground in the nick of time and promptly justified his selection with scores of 58 and 72 as Bob Wyatt's men fought out a draw.

Pattinson, the 29-year-old Nottinghamshire seam bowler, was not tending to roses when he was drafted into the team to face South Africa yesterday as a late replacement for Ryan Sidebottom, who had failed to recover from a stiff back apparently caused by sleeping on hotel mattresses.

But he had been expecting to visit Alton Towers, where he had promised to take his children for the day and where he would have encountered no more spectacular rollercoaster ride than that which propelled him into an England team that had gone unchanged for six successive Tests.

The selection of the Grimsby-born roof tiler, who has lived most of his life in Australia, overshadowed the return of Andrew Flintoff, the axing of Paul Collingwood, the machinations of an intriguing day's cricket and left a sell-out crowd enquiring: "Darren who?".

Their ignorance was understandable: this was only Pattinson's 12th first-class appearance and he is only the fourth Lincolnshire-born cricketer to appear in a Test. The most famous, Lord Hawke, requires no introduction in these parts.

Conditions yesterday could have been tailor-made for Pattinson. There was drizzle in the air, a nip on the breeze, and grey skies that might have been borrowed from a Lowry painting.

But Michael Vaughan lost the toss in his 50th Test as captain and, for the second game in succession, Graeme Smith sent England into bat.

Although there was sufficient movement to keep bowlers interested, it was one of those strangely deceptive Headingley days when batting is not as difficult as appearances might suggest, provided that batsmen play in disciplined fashion.

Sadly for England, too many of their batsmen lacked that virtue as they were dismissed for 203 on the stroke of tea.

Although eight players reached double figures, none progressed to a half-century, Kevin Pietersen top-scoring with 45 from 46 balls before flashing wildly at Dale Steyn and falling in the slips.

Ian Bell, too, looked in first-class fettle only to play-on to Jacques Kallis as his innings was nipped in the bud on 31.

England's unluckiest batsman was Alastair Cook, 'sawn off' down the leg-side by a ball from Morne Morkel that appeared to clip the thigh pad on its way to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.

Andrew Strauss would also have been 'sawn off' had replays not confirmed AB DeVilliers had spilled him in the slips off Morkel.

The crowd booed DeVilliers when they saw the replay, although Strauss failed to capitalise as, four runs later, he was caught behind for 27 after edging Morkel.

Tim Ambrose's promotion to No 6 failed to pay dividends when he snicked one from Makhaya Ntini, while Flintoff – the recipient of a standing ovation on his way to the crease – also flashed wildly at Steyn and was caught by Boucher.

When South Africa batted, Pattinson – who bowled two wicket-less overs for 17 runs in Nottinghamshire's Twenty20 victory here on June 13 – failed to make an impression as he bowled three wicket-less overs this time for 16 runs.

Instead, it was James Anderson and Flintoff who did the damage as South Africa reached 101-3 from 29 overs in tender evening sunshine.

Neil McKenzie and Smith were held in the slips, Kallis played-on, and it would have got better for England had Hashim Amla not been reprieved after Vaughan claimed a brilliant catch off Flintoff diving forward at mid-off.

South Africa's 12th man Andre Nel encouraged Amla to stay on the field while replays were consulted, and then greeted Amla's let-off with the broadest of grins.

It was a controversial finish to a day on which South Africa had more to smile about than Pattinson and England.

DISPLAY OF THE DAY

Dale Steyn

Picked up the key wickets of Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff and Michael Vaughan on his way to 4-76 from 18.3 overs.

England v South Africa

Headingley Carnegie: South Africa won toss.

England First Innings

A J Strauss c Boucher b M Morkel 27

A N Cook c Boucher b M Morkel 18

M P Vaughan c Smith b Steyn 0

K P Pietersen c Smith b Steyn 45

I R Bell b Kallis 31

T R Ambrose c Boucher b Ntini 12

A Flintoff c Boucher b Steyn 17

S C J Broad c de Villiers b M Morkel 17

J M Anderson not out 11

M S Panesar c de Villiers b M Morkel 0

D J Pattinson c Boucher b Steyn 8

Extras lb6 w6 nb5 17

Total (52.3 overs) 203

Fall: 1-26 2-27 3-62 4-106 5-123 6-150 7-177 8-181 9-186

Bowling: Steyn 18.3 2 76 4; Ntini 11 0 45 1; M Morkel 15 4 52 4; Kallis 8 2 24 1.

South Africa First Innings

N D McKenzie c Flintoff b Anderson 15

G C Smith c Strauss b Flintoff 44

H M Amla not out 18

J H Kallis b Anderson 4

A G Prince not out 9

Extras lb8 nb3 11

Total 3 wkts (29 overs) 101

Fall: 1-51 2-69 3-76

To Bat: A B de Villiers, M V Boucher, M Morkel, P L Harris, D W Steyn, M Ntini.

Bowling: Anderson 12 2 39 2; Pattinson 3 0 16 0; Flintoff 10 1 24 1; Broad 4 1 14 0.