Plenty more live cricket to come on ESPNcricinfo. The start of the one-day series between South Africa and Sri Lanka begins on Wednesday with a day-night match in Paarl. The third Test between Australia and India from Perth begins next Friday and then the world's best Test side (England by the way) return to action on January 17 for an intriguing series in the UAE against Pakistan. Hope you can join us.
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Read all about it, read all about it. South Africa win series!

Well that's that. Saffers victorious on home soil after a long pause. They now travel to New Zealand who recently drew in Australia and will pose a challenge, although South Africa will go into the series as favourites. The headline matches come in the middle of the year when the Proteas will be in the UK to play the the number No.1 Test side in the world. That should be a cracker.

"We were very poor in Durban and the guys all came out and played well for Jacques [Kallis'] 150th Test," says Graeme Smith. "We knew we were better than Durban.
"This is a strong ground for us and to see the crowds that have come out in support for us is the most important thing for us."

"After getting guys with a few starts we didn't go on to make big scores," says Dilshan. "Samaraweera batted superbly across the series."

Man of the Series to AB de Villiers. Consistent runs. "The surfaces have been a little bit odd but we batted really well here," says AB. "Captaincy [in the one-day series] will be a new challenge for me and we've got a nice set up and hopefully we play well."

Man of the Match of course to the home-town boy, Jacques Kallis. 224 runs, six catches, three wickets. "It's been a very special week," says Kallis. "A long as I don't read too many newspapers, I'll keep going as long as i'm enjoying it."

This must be the first target to be reached off zero balls? Indeed the table of lowest targets confirms as such.

South Africa win their first series since 2008 when they overturned Bangladesh, before that they beat West Indies in January 2008. The host broadcaster used the twitter hashtag #noexcuses for this series and the home side have delivered, albeit after a blip in Durban. But either side of that aberration they have dominated as many assumed they would.

This match could have been so different had Dilshan decided to bat first on day one but his extraordinarily negative decision backfired spectacularly. South Africa racked up a huge score and Kallis made the second double century of his career to follow up his first pair in the Boxing Day Test. Replying to such a score Sri Lanka looked to be going ok on such a flat pitch but they subsided and they game was only going one way after conceding such a big deficit. Samaraweera can take great credit though - his second century of the series taking him over 300 runs in the rubber and proving that a Sri Lankan can score runs outside the subcontinent. But the story is South Africa's and there's plenty more reaction to come...

0.1

2nb

Prasad to Petersen, (no ball) 1 run

that's it! The bowler oversteps, it's too full and punched down the ground for four. So just one ball it took and South Africa win the series. Well done them. Well done gamblers who backed the favourite...

An impossible situation for the openers here, they're just looking to get through unscathed and get this over and done with...it'll be Aliviro Petersen to face...
Cricket being the wonderfully quirky game it is meant that we've had to pause for a slice of Vicky sponge and a cup of Darjeeling before South Africa can complete victory here. They would have been pleased to have wrapped the Sri Lanka second innings up before tea after that very frustrating morning and now it could take just one ball for this match to finish. I'd sent Kallis out to score the winnings runs...a fine accolade after a quite superb match.

And that will be tea. Another quirk that makes cricket what it is. Twenty more minutes for the South African champagne to be kept on ice. In all this, let's not forget Samaraweera's second successive century, which kept the South Africans at bay for two sessions.

For those of you wondering, here's the link for the lowest targets in Tests.

Robin jokes: "See? Smith did declare too early."

Since the C-word hasn't been mentioned all Test. Biggles: "What are the odds of South Africa choking here?"

David: "Well I guess with Philander taking 6 wickets in the match - on a batsmen friendly pitch, the doom prophets will now acknowledge his talent. This takes him to 30 wkts in 4 matches. " He's been fantastic this game.

Iain Mac: "For the love of Kallis please publish one of the 25 comments i have made over the last four days and two tests! Boucher and Morkel to open the 2nd innings for SA?"

107.5

Kallis to Welegedara, OUT

that's the end of that, you miss I hit, Kallis gets this third wicket, a fullish ball on legstump, Welegedara skips beyond leg stump once more, he doesn't connect, leg stump is out of the ground, South Africa have to make two runs to win the series

Chanaka Welegedara b Kallis 14 (6b 2x4 1x6 6m) SR: 233.33

107.4

Kallis to Welegedara, SIX runs

no innings defeat for Sri Lanka, backs away a bit once more and creams this down the ground, almost takes out a cameraman as that sails for six

107.3

Kallis to Welegedara, FOUR runs

outrageous shot, backs away to expose all three stumps, then thumps a length ball from Kallis over extra cover for four

107.2

•

Kallis to Welegedara, no run

Welegedara is another one who doesn't fancy the forward defensive, refers the big swing instead, inside-edged on to the pad this time

107.1

Kallis to Thilan Samaraweera, 1 run

whipped towards square leg for a single

end of over 1079 runs • 1 wicket

SL: 331/9CRR: 3.09

Chanaka Welegedara4 (2b 1x4)

Thilan Samaraweera114 (214b 14x4)

Imran Tahir 32-7-106-3

Jacques Kallis 14-2-24-2

106.6

Tahir to Welegedara, FOUR runs

nearly an outstanding catch, Smith has already pulled off a stunner at long-on earlier in this match, this time he had to race back from long-on to get a hand on it after Welegedara biffs it down the ground, Smith has too much to do though and can't latch on

Adeel Rehman: "Younis Khan once called Samaweera the Sri Lankan Bradman during an interview which goes to show that atleast there is someone who values his performances"

106.5

•

Tahir to Welegedara, no run

looks to drive through the off side, the googly from Tahir, takes the inside-edge towards the leg

It's actually time for tea, but since it's the last wicket, we will have a half-hour extension to this session

106.4

Tahir to Prasad, OUT

that's probably the end of his innings, Prasad wants to send another ball into orbit, takes a couple of paces down the track in his attempt, Boucher collects, completes the stumping before Prasad can get his bat back in, Philander's dreams of a five-for are crushed

Dhammika Prasad st †Boucher b Imran Tahir 16 (22b 3x4 0x6 21m) SR: 72.72

106.3

Tahir to Prasad, FOUR runs

smash! Tahir drops it short, Prasad gets on the back foot and clubs it to midwicket for four more, SL trail only by 14 runs now

Shaun: "Preferring Herath over the Phantom... for shame... he couldn't even get out for a golden duck. The Phantom would've obliged easily for you there."

106.2

Tahir to Thilan Samaraweera, 1 run

flighted and full, pitching on leg, worked to the leg side for a single

106.1

•

Tahir to Thilan Samaraweera, no run

length ball outside off, defended to the leg side

end of over 1061 run

SL: 322/8CRR: 3.03

Dhammika Prasad12 (20b 2x4)

Thilan Samaraweera113 (212b 14x4)

Jacques Kallis 14-2-24-2

Imran Tahir 31-7-97-2

105.6

•

Kallis to Prasad, no run

outside off, shortish, Prasad looks to cut that one but again he misses

105.5

•

Kallis to Prasad, no run

swing and a miss from Prasad, a pitched up delivery that Prasad wanted to deposit in the stands beyond long-off, doesn't bother to move his feet, just swings, and misses

105.4

•

Kallis to Prasad, no run

tests him with a short ball, over middle stump, Prasad manages to duck under just in time

Gaurav: "@Cam: He's been magnificent this SA tour but his average of 72 is mostly owing to some shocking roads in Pakistan where there was a tremendous gluttony of runs."

105.3

Kallis to Thilan Samaraweera, 1 run

Jay: "Southern hemisphere lording it over the North today." This week.

105.2

•

Kallis to Thilan Samaraweera, no run

short of length ball and just outside off, guided it behind point for a single

105.1

•

Kallis to Thilan Samaraweera, no run

a short of length ball on off stump, defended down the track

end of over 10513 runs

SL: 321/8CRR: 3.05

Dhammika Prasad12 (17b 2x4)

Thilan Samaraweera112 (209b 14x4)

Imran Tahir 31-7-97-2

Jacques Kallis 13-2-23-2

104.6

Tahir to Prasad, FOUR runs

blasts this down the ground for four more

104.5

Tahir to Prasad, 2 runs

somehow Tahir doesn't have a wicket this over so far, another almighty swing, another edge, the ball swirls towards midwicket but just eludes Petersen, Prasad making up for the entertainment missed by Herath's failure

Read full commentary

Best performances - batters

Spike Graph

Wagon Zone

JH Kallis

224 runs (325)

31 fours1 six

Productive shot

off side drive on front foot

55 runs

9 fours0 six

Control

91%

AB de Villiers

160 runs (205)

19 fours2 sixes

Productive shot

leg glance

33 runs

3 fours0 six

Control

90%

Best performances - bowlers

JH Kallis

14.5

ECO

2.35

VD Philander

ECO

2.42

View more stats

Match details

Newlands, Cape Town
Toss	Sri Lanka, elected to field first
Series	Sri Lanka tour of South Africa
Season	2011/12
Player Of The Match	Jacques Kallis
Player Of The Series	AB de Villiers
Series result	South Africa won the 3-match series 2-1
Match number	Test no. 2028
Hours of play (local time)	10.30am start, Lunch 12.30-13.10, Tea 15.10-15.30, Close 17.30
Match days	3,4,5,6 January 2012 - day (5-day match)
Umpires	Richard Kettleborough Rod Tucker
TV Umpire	Steve Davis
Reserve Umpire	Johan Cloete
Match Referee	Chris Broad