Close South Africa 249 for 7 (Smith 73, Boje 49) beat Australia 185 (Bevan 55, Boje 5 for 21, Pollock 3 for 28) by 65 runs (D/L method)
scorecard

Nicky Boje and Shaun Pollock bowled South Africa to a consolation victory in the seventh and final one-day match at Cape Town, after a fine 73 from Graeme Smith and a typically boisterous 39 not out from 24 balls from Jonty Rhodes had set Australia a competitive 251 to win in a game reduced by bad weather to 39 overs a side.

After their record-breaking efforts at Port Elizabeth, Australia entered the run-chase with high expectations, but this time they were unable to put together any meaningful partnerships, and despite the efforts of Michael Bevan they fell well short.

Pollock made the early inroads. In successive deliveries he removed Jimmy Maher to a miscued hook and the key man, Adam Gilchrist, was well caught by Jacques Kallis at slip as he ran the ball towards third man (16 for 2). Pollock soon added a third – Shane Watson lbw for 16 – and after Kallis and Roger Telemachus had got in on the act, Boje set to work on the lower-middle order.

So long as Bevan was at the crease, South Africa were never safe. He played his usual hand, nurdling the ball around the damp outfield and fashioning improbable boundaries from good-length deliveries, but his partners were less certain. Watson prodded and probed, taking 26 balls for his 16 (56 for 3), and Damien Martyn played a frenetic innings that ended when he holed out to Graeme Smith on the third man boundary (95 for 4).

Ricky Ponting did not last long, falling lbw to Telemachus for 1 (98 for 5) and Ian Harvey made room to cut Boje and was bowled leg stump for 14 (125 for 6).

Shane Warne was Boje's second victim, bowled in pursuit of quick runs, and when Bevan fell for 55 to a stunning one-handed leap by Pollock at backward square-leg, Australia's hopes went with him. Brett Lee, recalled in place of Darren Lehmann, proved once again that he is allrounder material with a run-a-ball 28, including a vast six off Nantie Hayward, but Boje yorked him as he came down the pitch, then tweaked one past a stranded Glenn McGrath, for Mark Boucher to complete an easy stumping and a comprehensive win.

Boje was a deserved Man of the Match. In addition to his five wickets, he had smeared a 51-ball 49, coming in as a pinch-hitter at No. 3 after Herschelle Gibbs had slipped on the damp turf and been run out for 27 (63 for 1).

Forever looking to make room, Boje was merciless outside off stump, lofting Ian Harvey for six over wide long-on, and crashing Warne and Watson through the covers for two boundaries in consecutive overs.

He put on 71 for the second wicket with Smith, who was at his fluent best, adding 73 to the 84 he scored in the sixth match at St George's Park. Once again Smith's cover-driving was exquisite – showing the full face of the bat to all comers, he stated South Africa's intent by timing Glenn McGrath past point in the third over, and later danced down the track to crack Harvey majestically through the covers for four.

Smith eventually fell to a pearler of a delivery from Andrew Bichel that clipped the inside edge before cannoning into the top of middle and leg stumps (134 for 2), and when Warne grabbed Kallis and McKenzie in quick succession, Jonty Rhodes and Boucher took up the attack.

Rhodes galloped to 39 from 24 deliveries, including pulled sixes off Watson and Warne, and Boucher proved an able foil, selflessly swinging the bat for 18 from 15 balls. He eventually holed out to Watson at mid-off, as did Shaun Pollock two overs later. There was just time for Boeta Dippenaar to crash McGrath for consecutive boundaries, as South Africa finished their innings - and the series - with a bang.

Teams

South Africa 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 Neil McKenzie, 5 Jonty Rhodes, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Shaun Pollock (capt), 8 Boeta Dippenaar, 9 Nicky Boje, 10 Nantie Hayward, 11 Roger Telemachus

Australia 1 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 2 Jimmy Maher, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Michael Bevan, 6 Ian Harvey, 7 Shane Watson, 8 Shane Warne, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Andrew Bichel, 11 Glenn McGrath

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