South Africa ended Pakistan's winning streak to take the third one-day international by 13 runs on Tuesday.

Chasing a target of 244, South Africa won the match under the upgraded Duckworth/Lewis formula after Pakistan failed to complete their 50 overs in the stipulated time of three-and-a-half hours and bad light was offered to the batsmen.

When play was stopped, South Africa needed to have scored 208 under the Duckworth/Lewis scoring method. They had made 221 for six in 45 overs and were declared winners.

South Africa's victory ensured that Pakistan's lead in the five-match series was reduced to 2-1.

Stand-in skipper Yousuf Youhana promised to find a solution to the problem of his side's slow over rate that possibly cost them the game. "We have a problem with the over rate," Youhana said later. "Maybe we are slow in the field and also because Shoaib [Akhtar] takes time to complete his overs.

"But we will try to find a solution to this in the remaining two matches. If bad light had not stopped play we probably would have won the match."

South Africa's victory was built around a second-wicket stand of 100 in 111 balls between skipper Graeme Smith (51 from 55 balls, eight fours) and Jacques Kallis (62 from 80 balls, eight fours, one six).

Jacques Rudolph (46 from 82 balls) then combined with Mark Boucher (24 from 32 balls) to add 49 valuable runs after South Africa had lost three quick wickets.

Although paceman Shoaib Akhtar threatened to prevent the South African win with hostile bowling which won him figures of three wickets for 31 runs, in the end South Africa came through with Shaun Pollock (4) and Andrew Hall (10) at the crease.

Earlier, Yasir Hameed (72) and Abdul Razzak (46) helped Pakistan to a competitive total.

South Africa, trailing 2-0 in the five-match series, produced a much improved performance before another big crowd.

Security was tight after South Africa nearly cancelled the tour due to fears of Islamic extremist attacks, and police were extra vigilant after the assassination on Monday of a prominent Sunni Muslim militant leader in the capital Islamabad.

SCORES
Pakistan:
Mohammad Hafeez c Dippenaar b Hall 20
Yasir Hameed c Gibbs b Peterson 72
Yousuf Youhana c Boucher b Ntini 18
Younis Khan c Ntini b Peterson 9
Faisal Iqbal c Boucher b Nel 22
Shoaib Malik c Gibbs b Ntini 18
Abdul Razzak not out 46
Rashid Latif c Kallis b Pollock 14
Shoaib Akhtar b Ntini 7
Saqlain Mushtaq not out 1
Extras: (lb-3 w-12 nb-1) 16
Total: (for 8 wickets, 50 overs) 243
Did not bat: Umar Gul
Fall of wickets: 1-52, 2-95, 3-128, 4-138, 5-169, 6-181, 7-200, 8-232
Bowling: Pollock 10-0-35-1 (3w), Nel 10-0-58-1 (1nb, 5w), Hall 8-1-37-1 (1w), Ntini 9-0-45-3 (1w), Kallis 6-0-39-0 (2w), Peterson 7-0-26-2

South Africa:
Graeme Smith c Rashid Latif b Abdul Razzak 51
Herschelle Gibbs c Rashid Latif b Shoaib Akhtar 4
Jacques Kallis b Shoaib Akhtar 62
Jacques Rudolph c Abdul Razzak b Shoaib Malik 46
Boeta Dippenaar b Mohammad Hafeez 3
Mark Boucher b Shoaib Akhtar 24
Shaun Pollock not out 4
Andrew Hall not out 10
Extras: (lb-2, w-6, nb-9) 17
Total: (for six wickets, 45 overs) 221
Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-110, 3-146, 4-157, 5-206, 6-206
Did not bat: Makhaya Ntini, R Peterson, Andre Nel
Bowling: Shoaib Akhtar 8-0-31-3 (2nb, 4w), Umar Gul 5-0-42-0, Abdul Razzak 7-0-27-1, Saqlain Mushtaq 8-0-52-0 (6nb), Shoaib Malik 10-0-42-1 (1nb), Mohammad Hafeez 7-0-25-1 (2w)

Result: South Africa won by 13 runs under the Duckworth/Lewis rules after bad light ended play in stipulated time.