Emphatic SA surge to huge win

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South Africa bundled Pakistan out for 107, then they screamed to victory by scoring 113 without loss in 14 overs. Yes, really.

AB de Villiers hit his unbeaten 50 off 40 balls with seven fours and a six. Graeme Smith smacked six fours and two sixes in his 56 not out.

That gave South Africa an unbeatable 2-1 series lead going into the last match of the rubber in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Just how will the Pakistanis scrape themselves off the canvas in time to make their flight to Jozi, never mind put up a credible performance?

Remember, many of us had similar thoughts after they crashed to defeat in the first match of the series in Centurion. And then came Durban ...

Wicketkeeper Mark Boucher took six catches, a record for dismissals in a one-day match for South Africa.

Boucher broke the record of five dismissals that he held jointly with Jonty Rhodes and Dave Richardson.

Boucher's feat made him the fourth player overall, after Australia's Adam Gilchrist, Alec Stewart of England and West Indian Ridley Jacobs, to claim six dismissals in a one-day international.

The Pakistanis struggled to come to terms with the South African bowlers on a pitch that offered swing through the air and movement off the seam.

Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq ground out a gritty 45 not out, his team's top score in an innings in which just two of his teammates reached double figures.

Pakistan's first wicket fell without a run on the board when Imran Nazir edged the fourth ball of the match, which was bowled by Pollock, to Boucher.

The visitors slipped to six for two in the eighth over when Kamran Akmal was run out for three by Herschelle Gibbs's underarm throw after Younis Khan refused a single. Akmal fell down as he tried to scramble back to the non-striker's end.

Khan went for eight when his edged drive off Pollock was caught by Jacques Kallis at second slip.

That reduced Pakistan to 23 for three in the 13th over, and they were 41 for four when Mohammad Yousuf's budding innings was snuffed out for 21 when he tried to glide a delivery from medium pacer Andrew Hall to third man and edged to Boucher.

Inzamam and Shoaib Malik consolidated with a stand of 46 that would prove to be Pakistan's biggest partnership.

Medium pacer Justin Kemp ended the stand in the 33rd over when Malik, who scored 19, sparred at a leg-side delivery and was caught behind by Boucher.

Pakistan's remaining five wickets crashed for the addition of just 14 runs.

Inzamam faced 97 balls and hit four fours in his patient innings.

De Villiers and Smith though ensured South Africa surged to victory on the double by mounting a furious onslaught on the Pakistan bowling.

Teams:

South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), AB de Villiers, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, Justin Kemp, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Makhaya Ntini, Charl Langeveldt.

Pakistan: Kamran Akmal, Imran Nazir, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq (captain), Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Naved-ul-Hasan, Abdur Rehman, Mohammad Asif.

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