Close South Africa 448 and 124 for 7 (McKenzie 39, D Fernando 4-49) beat Sri Lanka 323 and 245 (Sangakkara 89) by three wickets
Scorecard

South Africa duly secured victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Centurion … but not before they had been given the fright of their lives. On a last-day wicket of disconcerting bounce, South Africa had been reduced to 44 for 5, then 73 for 6, chasing a moderate target of 121. But Neil McKenzie, who fell with victory in sight for 39, and Mark Boucher (22 not out) overcame a frenzied performance from Sri Lanka's bowlers, particularly Dilhara Fernando, whose 4 for 29 in eight overs had scattered South Africa's top order to the four winds. Shaun Pollock sealed the win by clubbing Muttiah Muralitharan to the long-on boundary.

The day had not started auspiciously for Sri Lanka. They lost their mainstay, Mahela Jayawardene, to the very first ball of the morning, and collapsed from their overnight 180 for 3 to 245 all out. But Graeme Smith was himself trapped lbw by Chaminda Vaas's first ball of South Africa's run-chase, before Fernando got stuck into the top order.

Herschelle Gibbs mis-hooked to a tumbling Kumar Sangakkara, running around from behind the stumps (13 for 2), Gary Kirsten fended a lifter to Jehan Mubarak in the gully (23 for 3), and a shaky start became a full-blown crisis when Jacques Kallis under-edged a cut shot from Fernando into his off stump. Kallis left the crease muttering animatedly at the Sri Lankan fielders, and with good reason - his recent Test scores had been 61*, 75*, 139*, 75 and 84, but he had failed just when it mattered most to his side.

Ashwell Prince, by contrast, had been in a horrendous run of form, with scores of 2, 0, 3 and 20, and his brief innings ended when he tickled a leg side catch to Sangakkara, and trooped off for 5 (44 for 5). But McKenzie fidgeted and cut South Africa back into the ascendancy, although Muttiah Muralitharan made a belated entry to the party when he removed Andrew Hall, caught at bat-pad via the elbow, for 16 (73 for 6). Murali then bowled McKenzie with nine still required for victory, but Pollock, two days too late for his third Test century, carried South Africa home.

If Sri Lanka had been able to set a competitive target, then the result could have been so different. But Jayawardene's early dismissal – offering no stroke to Makhaya Ntini's loosener – after Sangakkara had fallen late on the fourth day, spelt the beginning of the end. Their middle-order slump continued when Pollock removed Russel Arnold lbw for 4 (185 for 5).

Hasantha Fernando top-edged a hook off Ntini to Hall at fine leg for 14 (205 for 6), before a becalmed Hashan Tillekeratne was cut in half by Kallis, his inside-edge brilliantly caught down the leg side by Boucher. Tillekeratne's six runs had come from 57 balls (209 for 7).

A swift end was in sight when Chamila Gamage steered Kallis's next ball to Pollock at first slip, but Vaas and Dilhara Fernando added an important 36 for the ninth wicket, before both men fell in the space of three balls. Vaas, who was the third of four lbw victims in the morning, was a shade unlucky as the ball appeared to pitch outside leg, but his runs came ever so close to an unlikely victory.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd