Ruthless South Africans clinch one-day series

Shaun Pollock had some sympathy (but not all that much, mind) for Sanath Jayasuriya after South Africa had wrapped up the Standard Bank one-day international series against Sri Lanka with a crushing 99-run victory in the fourth match at Newlands on Thursday.

The win was South Africa's ninth on the trot and the fourth over Sri Lanka in this series. Indeed, the only home ODI not won by South Africa this summer was the washout in Potchefstroom way back at the start of New Zealand's tour.

Sri Lanka, as Jayasuriya conceded, were out-batted and out-bowled by South Africa on the day. The tourists now have only the third and final Test match from which to salvage some pride, but before then they have to play out the final rites of the one-day series in Bloemfontein on Sunday and in Johannesburg next Wednesday.

Jayasuriya, quite obviously, has his work cut out now to somehow lift a team that, from the outside anyway, is dejected, demoralised and dispirited.

"It is difficult," said Pollock. "We had the same situation in Sri Lanka when things didn't really run for us and it is hard. But we're going to have those times too so we can't afford to have too much sympathy for them. We've just got to go out and play as well as we can."

Motivation, said Pollock, is no problem at all for the South Africans. "You've just got to think back to the last time you lost and that feeling is more than enough motivation."

As has been the case throughout the series, South Africa once again outclassed the opposition. With Boeta Dippenaar playing his most accomplished innings yet for his country, the home team barely noticed another failure from Herschelle Gibbs.

Gibbs made just 13 on Thursday to follow his 0 in the second Test match and a 1 in Paarl on Tuesday, but Dippenaar, whose first boundary was a six pulled over square leg off Nuwan Zoysa, played quite beautifully for 77 until undoing himself with an ill-conceived reverse sweep off Muttiah Muralitharan.

Jacques Kallis again paced himself and, as had also been the case in Paarl, Jonty Rhodes sparked the innings with a 52-ball 53. It was Rhodes' fifth successive 50 - a South African record - and on each occasion he has provided an invaluable injection of urgency.

Kallis, meanwhile, played patiently until 55 when he sliced Muralitharan straight upwards. Romesh Kaluwitharana gathered himself beneath the ball, with Kallis turning towards the dressing rooms, and dropped it.

"I couldn't believe my eyes," said Jayasuriya afterwards. "He never drops those ones."

Kallis promptly carted Muralitharan and Zoysa for sixes and raced to 82 and it was this burst that enabled the South Africans to reach 290 for seven.

Sri Lanka needed a big one from Jayasuriya, but he went for 12 and although Kaluwitharana atoned for his dropped catch with a gutsy 74, he had precious little support. Makhaya Ntini, meanwhile, helped himself to his first ODI five-wicket haul, helped effect Chaminda Vaas' run out and caught Russel Arnold to snatch the man of the match award away from Kallis and Dippenaar and Sri Lanka were bowled out in the 42nd over.

It was a walloping as South Africa continued to ride the wave. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have been swamped.