Australia 271 for 2 (Gilchrist 105, Hayden 59) beat South Africa 267 for 6 (Rhodes 76) by eight wickets
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A blistering century from Adam Gilchrist underpinned another comfortable victory for Australia, achieved with 13 balls and eight wickets to spare. It gives them an unassailable 4-0 lead with two matches to play, and leaves South Africa looking down the barrel of a humiliating 6-0 defeat. For Ricky Ponting, this captaincy malarkey must seem much ado about nothing.

Gilchrist hammered 105 off 104 balls, with 12 fours and one mighty slog-swept six off Nicky Boje, as Australia made light of what should have a difficult target of 268. Nobody had ever chased that many to win here before, but then no other side has Gilchrist in their ranks. He got Australia's innings off to a roaring start, racing to his first fifty in 13 one-day internationals this winter from 44 balls and for once terrorizing the South Africans in pyjamas as he has all season in whites.

Gilchrist was especially severe on Jacques Kallis – whose first two overs went for 20 after dropping a sitter at slip before Gilchrist had got into his stride – and Nantie Hayward, who went for 58 off eight. Hayward did clang Gilchrist on the helmet, but it made no difference. Hayward scowled and cursed, Gilchrist smiled politely like a teacher tolerating an idiot, and soon the ball was disappearing to all parts again. He was so good that he even got a run to third man from a pull shot, with the ball smacking off the back of the bat.

His pre-eminence was such that Matthew Hayden's smooth 59 went almost unnoticed. It was filled with some trademark clumps and clatters, and it came as something of a surprise when he was out, bowled off stump by a ball from Hayward that kept low, to end an opening partnership of 170, a record for the ground and for Australia against South Africa.

Soon after Gilchrist followed, caught at long leg by the diving debutant John Kent – whose six overs with the ball disappeared for 41 - after he misjudged a hook off Makhaya Ntini. Australia threatened to wobble briefly after Gilchrist's dismissal, with only 16 runs coming off six overs as the tension mounted, but Ponting thrashed three boundaries in one Hayward over to get things moving again. It was comfortable from there, as Ponting (44 not out) and Damien Martyn (47 not out) matched each other stroke for stroke in a lovely partnership of 91 in 14 overs.

That Australia would breeze to victory looked unlikely after South Africa hustled 101 off the last 12 overs to set an imposing target, with Jonty Rhodes giving a masterful display of finishing.

The South African innings came in three distinct parts. They came flying out of the blocks, spluttered in the middle as a series of batsmen got in and got out, and raced away at the end as Rhodes put his foot on the gas.

They were going well at 82 for 1 in the 17th over when Nicky Boje, who pinch-hit a run-a-ball 22, was done for pace by Brett Lee, and after that South Africa lost their way.

Graeme Smith (46) was getting bogged down when he spooned a lap off Shane Warne and was caught by a diving Gilchrist, and Kallis managed only one boundary in his 41-ball innings before he smacked a short one from Glenn McGrath straight down the throat of Jimmy Maher at deep square leg.

Neil McKenzie sped to 17 before he tickled Warne to Gilchrist, and it was at that point, with South Africa 158 for 5 in the 36th over and the innings drifting, that Rhodes injected the oomph, scampering singles that weren't there and manoeuvring length balls to all parts of the ground.

He drove and cut three fours off Jason Gillespie in the 46th over, and he had just whacked the first two balls of McGrath's last over to the boundary when, looking for a third, he carved straight to Ponting at gully (255 for 6). Rhodes was gone for an outstanding 76 off 70 balls; his last 15 deliveries had yielded 32, and he and Mark Boucher had added 97 runs in 13 overs.

It was swashbuckling stuff, but ultimately nowhere near enough. Since Australia last played a seven-match series here, in 1996-97, South Africa have played 47 completed one-dayers at home. Against Australia they have lost five in eight; against the rest they have lost only six in 39. From a South African point of view, Graeme Pollock was right: the sooner these Aussies go away, the better.

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