Smith takes advantage of England errors

South Africa 270 for 7 (Smith 105, Gibbs 50) beat England 267 for 8 (Solanki 66, Nel 3-49, Ntini 3-58) by three wickets - series level at 1-1
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

South Africa levelled the series at one match apiece, after another tense and enthralling affair at Port Elizabeth. Following their last-ditch failure at Bloemfontein on Wednesday, when they needed three runs from six balls and failed, this time the requirement came down to a similarly enticing requirement - two from six, with three wickets in hand. But at the second time of asking, South Africa held their nerve. Ashwell Prince hoisted Darren Gough over the top for four, and the crowd celebrated their first victory against senior opposition for 14 matches.

It could so easily have gone the other way, however. This was another nervy performance from a side that has forgotten how to win, and South Africa owed their victory to a selection of very untimely English errors with both bat and ball. The linchpin of their performance was the captain, Graeme Smith, who recorded his maiden one-day century, 105 from 131 balls, and in doing so laid the ghost of his run-out on 99 against Sri Lanka two years ago. But he was badly dropped on 53 by Marcus Trescothick, and then reprieved by a fumbled run-out one over later. Had either chance been taken, England would surely have won.

South Africa's innings was yet another roller-coaster affair. Chasing 268 for victory after Trescothick had won the toss, Smith stood firm as the top-order wobbled, moving along to his first one-day half-century for exactly 12 months. On a slow and low pitch, England thrived through their lack of extreme pace, and the first of several turning-points came when a subdued Jacques Kallis carved Paul Collingwood's medium-pacers to point. At that point, South Africa had slipped to 89 for 3 in the 20th over, and were in serious danger of losing their way.

Within five overs, however, South Africa had been given renewed focus, as England this time fluffed their lines. Collingwood, whose full-length dobblers were proving remarkably tricky to get off the square, tempted Smith to heave across the line, and a swirling chance looped up to Trescothick, running round from mid-on. Inexplicably, he muffed the chance, and England were still ruing that reprieve when Geraint Jones behind the stumps failed to gather a shy from the covers, with Smith floundering a yard short of his ground.

With his old opening partner, Herschelle Gibbs, for company, however, Smith began to steady South Africa's nerves, and while they were adding 107 for the fourth wicket, it was England who began to search for inspiration. He has not enjoyed many moments to crow about in his tussles with Matthew Hoggard in this series, but by taking 15 runs off his seventh over of the innings, Smith shifted the momentum squarely in South Africa's direction.

But this is South Africa v England 2004-05, and no match is complete without at least a dozen twists and turns. No sooner had Gibbs reached his second fifty of the series than he was gone, trapped lbw by the returning Darren Gough. It was the first of three wickets in 21 balls that culminated in the big scalp itself, as Ashley Giles turned one into Smith's pads, and from 196 for 3, South Africa were again floundering at 214 for 6 as the required rate rocketed to more than eight an over.

However, with Mark Boucher in residence, the tail retained sufficient chutzpah to overcome their anxieties, and when Hoggard was again the victim of a brutal onslaught - disappearing to all parts for another 14 in an over - the momentum shifted decisively back to South Africa. Gough did his best to salvage the situation, removing Boucher lbw for 33, but Prince had enough mental strength to put Wednesday's indignities out of his head.

England's innings had earlier been anchored by a timely 66 from Vikram Solanki, who made the most of Vaughan's absence to leave the selectors with a headache ahead of the fourth match at Cape Town on Sunday. But that total might have been even better but for a typically wholehearted effort from Andre Nel, who dismissed the dangerous Kevin Pietersen for just the second time in his one-day career (and in the process reduced his average to a mere 133.50) en route to the impressive figures of 3 for 49.

England's effort was built on solid contributions all the way down the order, with Solanki the only man to reach a half-century. He made an even 100 in his last one-day innings, against Zimbabwe earlier on the tour, but would not have been playing in this game had it not been for Michael Vaughan's absence with a stomach bug, an ailment that had kept him off the field for the second half at Bloemfontein.

With more than 10 overs remaining, England might have expected a total in excess of 280, but the innings failed to ignite, as Makhaya Ntini, whose sharp opening burst had gone unrewarded, struck back violently with three late wickets in six deliveries. In a series as evenly matched as this, it proved to be a vital intervention.