The day-night affair at GoodYear Park, Bloemfontein saw high drama that ended with a tie and a one-nil lead still with England. At one point, the game seemed South Africa's until Kevin Pieterson sparkled. It turned on its head for England even as it appeared to trickle away from the hosts. South Africa nearly wrested it before some manic moments resulted in an even affair.

Inserted into bat, England made a solid start and perhaps would have decisively seized the innings had Shaun Pollock not struck to remove Marcus Trescothick for thirty-seven. England lost two more quick wickets with Andrew Strauss and Geraint Jones retreating to the pavilion. From a precarious position of sixty-seven for three, skipper Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pieterson engaged in a sedate but consolidating partnership that yielded eighty runs but more importantly, ensured that England had wickets in hand to implement a late attack.

Michael Vaughan did eventually depart for forty-two. But that dismissal and the fact that England were crawling towards the 200 mark in the forty-second over made the effervescent Pieterson change gears to a more entertaining and free-reining mode, even as the crowd made no bones about what they felt of the South African export to the England squad. The feeling was mutual for Pieterson as well, who nonchalantly fed on the rather out-of-depth bowling in the death overs. Paul Collingwood's run-a-ball forty combined well with Pieterson's race to his maiden one-day international hundred in only six matches. The record fifth wicket partnership realized ninety-two runs. Seventy-seven runs were conceded from the last ten overs after South Africa did well to restrain the England run-rate for most of the middle part of the innings. England, who at one time appeared to be struggling against the constant rotation of bowlers to post a target anywhere in the region of 250, had just sent the scoreboard spinning to post South Africa a more challenging total of 270. On a pitch that was going to slow down as the game progressed, South Africa should have been furious for letting the initiative slip away in the final moments of the innings.

Abraham de Villiers was certainly a surprise exclusion from the first one-day international, but that he would be batting in the opening slot at the expense of Herschelle Gibbs batting lower down the order was even bizarre. While Adam Bacher would rue his opportunity or the lack of it, South Africa faced bigger headaches as Matthew Hoggard continued his spell on Graeme Smith, while de Villiers appeared patchy in his brief stay. South Africa were close to the half-century mark in the twelfth over when England struck a double wicket blow that brought Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs together. The duo, two of South Africa's more experienced and artistic batsmen, were encumbered with the task to ensure no further loss of wickets as they matched England from one mark to another on the run-rate.
 

The duo grew in momentum, not minding the rising run-rate to put on 134 until Kallis perished for sixty-three. Gibbs then found a capable ally in Justin Kemp and they batted well to inch closer to the target. Gibbs departed for seventy-eight with a leg-side flick and Kemp's cameo thirty-two ended with Gough's yorker. Shaun Pollock and Mark Boucher got their team within a hair's breadth of the target before Kabir Ali's expensive day ended with three wickets in the last-over mayhem. Boucher hit a boundary off the first ball (declared a no-ball) with South Africa needing eight off the last over. Kabir Ali responded with a full-toss that Boucher inexplicably hit into Ashley Giles' hands on the mid-wicket boundary. The South Africans, branded the 'Chokers' in the late 90s, then showed that they had not quite shaken off that tag completely, by losing one more wicket and scoring just one run from the next two deliveries.

Andrew Hall is stumped off the last ball by Geraint Jones.

Shaun Pollock tied the scores off the fifth ball. With one needed from one, there was tremendous tension all round, but Ali held his nerve, as did Geraint Jones, the wicketkeeper. Ali bowled a tight delivery that Andrew Hall played and missed, and Jones, who had stood up to prevent a bye, snapped it up and whipped off the bails to ensure a tie.

It was one of those rare occasions when a one-day international ended with a stumping off the final delivery.