South Africa avenged Sunday's emphatic loss to England with a one-run win over Nasser Hussain's side yesterday.
England surged to victory by nine wickets in Bloemfontein on Sunday but yesterday at Newlands they fell tantalisingly short, reaching 203 for nine in reply to South Africa's moderate total of 204 for seven.
The tourists seemed on their way to their second win of the triangular series, which also involves Zimbabwe, when Nick Knight and Graeme Hick shared a partnership of 68 off 104 balls for the second wicket.
However, Hick was trapped lbw for 25 by pace bowler and man-of-the-match Jacques Kallis in the 18th over with a ball that seemed to be missing leg stump.
Two balls later opener Knight was caught behind for 36 by wicket-keeper Mark Boucher off seamer Henry Williams when he drove at a wide delivery.
That reduced England to 72 for three but Chris Adams brought them back into the match with 42 off 69 balls. Adams was seventh out in the 43rd over. The penultimate over, bowled by paceman Shaun Pollock, yielded 16 runs as number nine Chris Read hit a four and a six and Mark Ealham a four before he was caught by Jonty Rhodes at backward point for 25.
That left England needing to score nine off the 50th over, bowled by Kallis, but they could manage just seven and lost Andy Caddick when he was yorked for a duck with the second ball.
England tied down South Africa's batsmen for the second successive match as the home batsmen threw away wickets at regular intervals in an innings of fits and starts.
Kallis top-scored with 43 while Hansie Cronje looked set for a big innings before fishing outside the off stump to paceman Darren Gough to be caught behind by wicket-keeper Read for 39 in the 39th over.
Lance Klusener weighed in with an unbeaten 42 off 47 balls with two fours, but England curbed the damage the hard-hitting Klusener could have inflicted by bowling on the left-hander's pads and limiting his opportunities to hit boundaries.
Gough also dismissed openers Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs to finish with three for 36, the best of the England bowling figures.
