South Africa eased ahead of India in the Standard Bank One-Day series at Buffalo Park in East London on Friday night, winning the third meeting between the two teams in the tournament by 46 runs. The victory ensures South Africa of a place in next Friday's final where they will probably meet India once again.

Kenya could, theoretically, still upset the apple cart by beating both India in Paarl next Wednesday in what has effectively become the tournament semi-final. As unlikely as this appears on paper, both the Kenyans and India will not have forgotten Wednesday's amazing result in Port Elizabeth.

And India's confidence will not have been lifted by a jittery, anxious batting display on Friday as they slipped to 236 all out in reply to South Africa's 282 for four, especially after having been given the best possible start by Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar.

The two put on 101 for the first wicket, all but two of the runs coming in the first 15 overs. Then Jacques Kallis bowled Tendulkar for 37 and India never quite got back on track again. While Ganguly was, they were always in with a sniff. He had played with a confidence bordering on arrogance through the first third of the innings helping himself to four sixes as he went for the South African seamers, but almost as soon a spin was introduced, he got himself out, lifting Nicky Boje's fourth delivery to long off where Kallis held a fine catch.

It was not a particularly clever piece of batting. At 151 for two, India had overs and wickets in hand, but not a great deal of experience to come. They needed Ganguly to stay there and once he was out, Rahul Dravid couldn't find a partner able to stay with him long enough to keep the tempo going.

There were three run outs in the Indian innings, two of them coming within the space of five balls as Ajit Agarkar and Deep Dasgupta were undone by sharp South African fielding. A little earlier, SS Das had also been run out as Andre Nel atoned for a fumble by throwing in straight and true off his knees.

Dravid kept plugging along, eventually making 71 not out, but he, too, had been at fault when Agarkar was out, calling for a run that was never really on, more so because he had played it towards Herschelle Gibbs.

Alarm bells must now be ringing loudly in the Indian camp. For all the potential at the top of their order, their batting has started to look dangerously brittle. They have somehow wandered onto thin ice and they cannot afford to take Kenya lightly next time around.

South Africa were given a rollicking start with Gibbs again in sparkling form. Once more Gibbs went after the bowling from the off, scoring at comfortably better than a run a ball as he slapped 47 off four deliveries, hitting seven boundaries and a six pulled over square leg off Javagal Srinath. When he went at 63 Boje took over until run out in a mix-up with Boeta Dippenaar, but the wicket only presented India with Kallis.

Together Kallis and Dippenaar carved out 103 for the third wicket, setting the South Africans for a dash in the final overs. Kallis was out one short of his 50, completely deceived by a beautifully disguised slower ball from Srinath as he came back for his second spell, but Dippenaar went on to make 81, his highest one-day score, and the stage was set for Jonty Rhodes and Lance Klusener.

They did not disappoint. The unbroken fifth wicket stand was worth 79 off 66 balls lto South Africa, but, most importantly, 52 came off the last five overs of the innings, at least 10 and possibly 20 more than India could afford at that stage. Rhodes was left on 40 with Klusener on 38. As things turned out, South Africa already had enough to spare in the bank, but neither they nor India were to know it at the time.

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