South Africa 253 for 7 (Kallis 87, Klusener 60*) lost to Sri Lanka 258 for 3 (Atapattu 123*, de Silva 71) by seven wickets
Scorecard

Marvan Atapattu kept Sri Lanka's series hopes alive with a brilliant 123 not out from just 121 balls, as South Africa's handy total of 253 for 7 was overhauled at a canter.

Atapattu had already hit 15 fours before he sealed the match with a straight six off Nicky Boje. It was an outstanding innings, which started with his customary caution before blossoming with sweetly-timed drives, hooks and deflections. He reached 50 off 66 balls and needed only another 43 deliveries to record his seventh one-day international century.

Sri Lanka eventually won with more than eight overs to spare, an unexpectedly comfortable margin of victory. Atapattu's main ally was Aravinda de Silva (71) and the pair added 140 for the third wicket after Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara had given the innings an impressive start. Jayasuriya was the victim off a typically outstanding catch by Jonty Rhodes, before Sangakkara was caught at slip off Allan Donald (73 for 2).

Earlier Jacques Kallis, whose brutal fifty had demoralised Sri Lanka on Friday, played a more solid innings of 87, as South Africa recovered from 71 for 5 to post a competitive total. The early headlines, however, went to Lance Klusener, who cracked an unbeaten fifty on his return from the wilderness.

In the end though, South Africa were never able to make up for their poor start. Herschelle Gibbs fell lbw to Chaminda Vaas for a second-ball duck, though the ball looked to have pitched outside leg stump, and in the sixth over Chamila Gamage bowled Boeta Dippenaar for 5 (15 for 2). Vaas then brought one back to remove Graeme Smith's off stump for 16 (28 for 3) and things went from bad to worse for South Africa when Jonty Rhodes nicked Gamage to Sangakkara for 0 (35 for 4)

Kallis is a man for a crisis and he set out his stall for a long stay, slowly grinding down the Sri Lankan bowlers one by one. Shaun Pollock (39) helped him add 81 for the sixth wicket, and when Kallis was caught at mid-off off Prabath Nissanka, Klusener finally opened up and showed glimpses of the form which make him such a dangerous batsman in the closing overs of an innings. Listless early on, Klusener cracked 28 runs from the last 11 balls he faced. It was a good comeback, but Atapattu ensured it was not enough.

South Africa 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 Boetta Dippenaar, 5 Jacques Kallis, 5 Jonty Rhodes, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Lance Klusener, 8 Shaun Pollock (capt), 9 Nicky Boje, 10 Alan Donald, 11 Mkaya Ntini

Sri Lanka 1 Marvan Atapattu, 2 Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), 3 Kumara Sangakkara (wk), 4 Aravinda de Silva, 5 Mahela Jayawardene, 6 Russel Arnold, 7 Hashan Tillekeratne, 8 Chaminda Vaas, 9 Chamila Gamage, 10 Prabath Nissanka, 11 Dilhara Fernando

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