Johannesburg, Mar 25: South Africa coasted to a six-wicket win over Pakistan Sunday to take the one-day series 3-2 with another match-winning innings by captain AB de Villiers.
De Villiers hit 95 not out to improve to three half-centuries and a century in the five games in the series, ensuring South Africa overtook Pakistan's 205 and finished its international season at home on a high ahead of the Champions Trophy, the main limited-overs tournament of 2013.
De Villiers' key 87-run partnership with Farhaan Behardien (35) moved South Africa away from signs of trouble at 83-3 and to an eventually easy win at Willowmoore Park in Benoni.
Mohammad Irfan took 2-38 but De Villiers finished with a four off Wahab Riaz as South Africa went to 208-4 and won with six overs to spare.
Scoreboard :
Pakistan=
Imran Farhat c De Villiers b Tsotsobe 13
Mohammad Hafeez c Ingram b Steyn 5
Kamran Akmal c McLaren b Peterson 48
Younis Khan c Amla b Behardien 29
Misbah-ul-Haq c De Villiers b McLaren 24
Shoaib Malik c Behardien b McLaren 28
Shahid Afridi c Ingram b McLaren 0
Wahab Riaz run out (McLaren/Peterson) 12
Saeed Ajmal b Morkel 1
Junaid Khan b Morkel 25
Mohammad Irfan not out 4
Extras: (4lb, 11w, 1nb) 16
TOTAL: (all out) 205
Overs: 49.1.
Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-31, 3-97, 4-104, 5-151, 6-151, 7-161, 8-162, 9-189.
Bowling: Dale Steyn 10-0-33-1 (4w), Lonwabo Tsotsobe 10-2-42-1 (1w), Morne Morkel 9.1-0-33-2 (1nb, 5w), Ryan McLaren 10-0-32-3 (1w), Robin Peterson 7-1-51-1, Farhaan Behardien 3-0-10-1.
South Africa=
Hashim Amla c Malik b Irfan 22
Quinton de Kock b Junaid Khan 3
Colin Ingram b Hafeez 15
AB de Villiers not out 95
Farhaan Behardien c Ajmal b Irfan 35
David Miller not out 20
Extras: (6b, 5lb, 7w) 18
TOTAL: (for four wickets) 208
Overs: 44.
Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-34, 3-83, 4-170.
Did not bat: Ryan McLaren, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
Bowling: Mohammad Irfan 10-1-38-2 (1w), Junaid Khan 7-1-30-1 (1w), Mohammad Hafeez 4-0-23-1, Wahab Riaz 7-0-44-0 (2w), Saeed Ajmal 10-1-34-0 (3w), Shahid Afridi 6-0-28-0.
Toss: won by Pakistan.
Result: South Africa won by six wickets.
Series: South Africa wins 3-2.
Umpires: Billy Bowden, New Zealand, and Johan Cloete, South Africa.
TV Umpire: Kumar Dharmasena, Sri Lanka. Match Referee: Andy Pycroft, Zimbabwe.
