Chasing Australia’s 226 for eight, South Africa’s first four wickets went down for 45 as Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie cut a swathe through the batting. At the Wanderers on Friday, it had been Gillespie who cause the early damage, but on this occasion the pair shared the four wickets between them.

Herschelle Gibbs was the first to go for 5, whipping McGrath around to Nathan Hauritz at square leg in the fifth over of the innings to have South Africa 18 for one.

Gary Kirsten had looked in good form, moving across to his off stump to hit Gillespie through the vacant spaces on the leg side, but he tried to work Gillespie once too often and a leading edge was well taken by a diving Ricky Ponting at second slip.

Kirsten had made 21 off 27 balls and South Africa were 30 for two.

Jacques Kallis went for 14, pushing McGrath defensively to Ponting at a short cover position at 42 for three and then Jonty Rhodes was trapped lbw by Gillespie for a duck at 45 for four.

Boeta Dippenaar brought the South African 50 up by tucking Gillespie through the leg field for four in the 14th over and after 15 overs he had 9 with Mark Boucher on 3 as they attempted to rebuild the innings.

Maher, playing only his third one-day international after Michael Bevan was forced out of the team with a hamstring strain, provided the innings with its backbone, batting for just on three hours for his 95 before he fell as Australia pushed for runs in the closing overs of their innings.

It was an impressive effort from the Queenslander who last represented his country in the 1997/98 season, taking up 150 balls as he hit 10 boundaries and a six lifted back over the head of left-arm spinner Nicky Boje into the sightscreen.

He shared in partnerships of 85 with Matthew Hayden for the second wicket and 93 with Damien Martyn for the fourth wicket after Boje had dismissed Hayden and Ricky Ponting with successive deliveries.

The fourth wicket stand was finally broken by Roger Telemachus who had Martyn caught at the wicket swinging at a wide one for 42 at 192 for four. Telemachus raised two fingers to the departing Martyn in a gesture that might have intrigued match referee Cammie Smith. Perhaps the bowler was indicating that it was the second time he had dismissed Martyn in the series.

Martyn fell in the 44th over of the innings and Maher followed in the 46th, carving Telemachus high to the cover boundary where Jacques Kallis took an excellent sprawling catch as he came in off the fence.

Debutant Shane Watson made only 2 before hitting Shaun Pollock straight to Herschelle Gibbs at midwicket at 206 for six and Andy Bichel was bowled, hitting across the line, by Pollock for 7 at 216 for seven.

Pollock claimed his second wicket in the over and his fourth of the innings when he trapped Jason Gillespie lbw for 4 at 220 for eight. Pollock, who failed to take a wicket in his comeback match at the Wanderers on Friday, ended with four for 32 from his 10 overs.

Australia lost their last five wickets for 34 and scored only 54 off the last 10 overs of the innings. On a ground where scores of around 260 are the norm, South Africa will have been encouraged by their efforts in the field.

Maher, playing only his third one-day international after Michael Bevan was forced out of the team with a hamstring strain, provided the innings with its backbone, batting for just on three hours for his 95 before he fell as Australia pushed for runs in the closing overs of their innings.

It was an impressive effort from the Queenslander who last represented his country in the 1997/98 season, taking up 150 balls as he hit 10 boundaries and a six lifted back over the head of left-arm spinner Nicky Boje into the sightscreen.

He shared in partnerships of 85 with Matthew Hayden for the second wicket and 93 with Damien Martyn for the fourth wicket after Boje had dismissed Hayden and Ricky Ponting with successive deliveries.

The fourth wicket stand was finally broken by Roger Telemachus who had Martyn caught at the wicket swinging at a wide one for 42 at 192 for four. Telemachus raised two fingers to the departing Martyn in a gesture that might have intrigued match referee Cammie Smith. Perhaps the bowler was indicating that it was the second time he had dismissed Martyn in the series.

Martyn fell in the 44th over of the innings and Maher followed in the 46th, carving Telemachus high to the cover boundary where Jacques Kallis took an excellent sprawling catch as he came in off the fence.

Debutant Shane Watson made only 2 before hitting Shaun Pollock straight to Herschelle Gibbs at midwicket at 206 for six and Andy Bichel was bowled, hitting across the line, by Pollock for 7 at 216 for seven.

Pollock claimed his second wicket in the over and his fourth of the innings when he trapped Jason Gillespie lbw for 4 at 220 for eight. Pollock, who failed to take a wicket in his comeback match at the Wanderers on Friday, ended with four for 32 from his 10 overs.

Australia lost their last five wickets for 34 and scored only 54 off the last 10 overs of the innings. On a ground where scores of around 260 are the norm, South Africa will have been encouraged by their efforts in the field.

Boje struck with his third ball after coming into the attack in the 26th over when Hayden went down the wicket to him and chipped a catch to Jonty Rhodes at a short midwicket position.

The breakthrough ended a stand that was assuming threatening proportions as Hayden and Maher patiently worked the South African bowling around, waiting for the loose balls which was inevitably tucked away for four.

Hayden went for 38 made off 60 balls and with his next delivery Boje pulled off a wonder catch to get rid of Australian captain Ricky Ponting. The bowler had to dive across the stumps and behind Maher who was backing up to hold the catch in his right hand and Australia were suddenly 99 for three.

Damien Martyn avoided the hat-trick, pushing a single to mid off to raise the Australian 100 and in the following over Maher went to his maiden one-day 50 with a single off Lance Klusener. He had faced 87 balls and hit six boundaries at that stage.

With 20 overs still to bat in the innings, Maher had 58 with Martyn on 8.

On a cool, cloudy morning the Australians, wearing black armbands in remembrance of Ben Hollioake, took 14 off the second over of the match from Makhaya Ntini after Pollock had opened with a maiden.

But Pollock brought a quick end to this flurry with the second ball of his second over when Gilchrist lifted him straight to Gary Kirsten at mid on to be caught for 7 at 14 for one.

The dismissal of Gilchrist brought in Jimmy Maher, playing only his third ODI innings as a replacement for Michael Bevan who has a slight hamstring strain.

Maher hit his first boundary in the sixth over of the morning, pulling Ntini wide of mid on, but with Pollock giving little away from the Hennops River end, the Australians were given little to hit.

Pollock conceded his first boundary in his sixth over when Hayden drove him past mid off and his figures when he rested himself at the end of the over read 6-1-12-1.

Pollock made a double change, bringing on Jacques Kallis and Roger Telemachus in the 13th and 14th overs and the Australian 50 came up when Maher lofted Telemachus over mid on for a one-bounce four followed by a single. He followed this with a pulled four off Kallis to reach 27 when the fielding restrictions were lifted with Hayden on 17.

The South Africans retained the team that lost the first match in the series at the Wanderers on Friday by 19 runs, but Australia were forced to make two changes following injuries to Michael Bevan and Ian Harvey.

Shane Watson wins his first international cap while Jimmy Maher returns for the first team since the 1997/98 season. Nathan Hauritz will have his second game for Australia with Shane Warne still unavailable because of a hamstring strain while Brett Lee was again named 12th man.

Teams

South Africa: Shaun Pollock (capt), Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Jonty Rhodes, Boeta Dippenaar, Mark Boucher, Lance Klusener, Nicky Boje, Makhaya Ntini, Roger Telemachus.

Australia: Ricky Ponting, (captain), Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Darren Lehmann, Jimmy Maher, Shane Watson, Andrew Bichel, Nathan Hauritz, Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath.