After the disappointing tie at Bloemfontein where South Africa frittered away a golden opportunity, the hosts held their nerve to record only their second win in fifteen one day internationals at St. Georges Park, Port Elizabeth.

The stomach ailment that kept Michael Vaughan off the field for the South African innings in the last match not only gave Marcus Trescothick another opportunity to lead the side but also gave Vikram Solanki a chance to redeem himself from being labelled as a fringe player. After England rightly elected to bat on a ground that does not boast of excellent lighting conditions for a day-night affair, contributions from all six top-order batsmen propelled England to a competitive total of 267, although that target may have been even stiffer, had it not been for a late strike by the effusive Andre Nel and assiduous Makhaya Ntini who returned with three wickets apiece.

 Marcus Trescothick and Geraint Jones gave England a rousing start and even threw Shaun Pollock off the mark. Later, Vikram Solanki struck an assertive sixty-six with the enigmatic Andrew Strauss for company. He was joined subsequently by the livewire Kevin Pieterson, livened up by the sentiments of the local crowd. Solanki displayed exquisite drives and held England together to keep South Africa on their toes. England's free flow of runs came effortlessly and Graeme Smith appeared all at sea in trying to contain the batsmen. His bizarre strategy of rotating his bowlers in one-over spells may have been carried out with a desperate intention to keep the batsmen guessing and unsettling their gameplan, but it seemed rather puzzling, even from a South African perspective. Smith bowled out Shaun Pollock and Nicky Boje early, but his strategy to bowl Nel and Ntini in tandem worked well. England lost their way after Nel packed off Solanki, losing five wickets for fifty runs in the last eleven overs.

Graeme Smith had struggled to regain his form of old against England in the Test series but set his foot firmly on making amends.
 

In the company of AB de Villiers, he set up forty-five runs as South Africa looked to overhaul England's target. But Matthew Hoggard induced the faintest of inside edges off de Villiers' bat. Nicky Boje's surprise exclusion at Bloemfontein in lieu of Andrew Hall had been criticized. He came in as a pinch-hitter in this game, and displayed remarkable ability with some commanding strokeplay, including a couple of glorious cover drives. His presence proved to be an impetus for his skipper as the duo built a breezy partnership, until Boje holed out to Kabir Ali at third-man for twenty. Jacques Kallis, in an uncharacteristic mood, sliced a drive off the wily Paul Collingwood straight to Pieterson at point. His dismissal brought the game to an even keen, South Africa eighty-nine for three in the twentieth over. 
 

Herschelle Gibbs and Smith then turned on their magic in a scintillating 106-run partnership for the fourth wicket that turned the odds in the hosts' favour. Trescothick's missed catch of Smith on fifty-three spelt doom as Smith became the first South African captain to score a century in one-day internationals. Gough's lbw of Gibbs for a worthy half-century and a double blow on 214 with Smith and Kemp back in the hut could have been disastrous for the home team. But Mark Boucher and Ashwell Prince built a brisk forty-three run partnership with Shaun Pollock in tow, to record a series-levelling three-wicket victory.

Herschelle Gibbs sweeps during his match-winning knock.