A slick all-round performance by South Africa saw them crush Pakistan by six wickets to win the fourth one-day international on Friday.

Their victory, with 11.1 overs to spare, tied the series at 2-2 with everything to play for in the final match on Sunday.

South Africa's win was built around the solid bowling of Andre Nel (four for 39) and Makhaya Ntini (three for 25) after Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat for the third time in the series.

Chasing a low target of 157, Herschelle Gibbs (41 off 46 balls) and Jacques Kallis (58 from 87) ensured a smooth win as Kallis scored his 45th ODI 50 with four fours and two sixes.

Both were let off on the bowling of the luckless Shabbir Ahmed but they still dominated with some splendid strokes.

Naved Latif failed to hold on to a difficult chance at wide mid-off when Gibbs was on 23, while Younis Khan gave Kallis a let off at first slip when he was on nine.

While the Pakistan innings contained just six fours and two sixes, the South Africans hit 19 fours and two sixes.

Gibbs, in particular, was in a savage mood, smashing seven fours as he and skipper Graeme Smith put on 31.

They were dismissed in identical fashion, Smith playing on to Mohammad Sami and Gibbs getting an inside to Shoaib Akhtar in the 8th and 14th overs.

Gibbs's effort saw South Africa race to 50 off 62 balls and the 100 came up from 116 balls as Kallis flayed the bowling and stunned the full house by pulling Akhtar with a flat shot for a six to mid-wicket.

Even Jacques Rudolph, who scored just 20 runs, hit four boundaries before being caught behind off Mohammad Hafeez.

For Pakistan it was a big let down from their victories in the first two games in Lahore last week after they were bowled out for their lowest total in 15 matches.

South Africa seamer Nel, playing in his 13th one-dayer, eclipsed his previous best of 3-20 by ripping the heart out of Pakistan's batting order with the wickets of Mohammad Hafeez, Faisal Iqbal, Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan.

Pakistan lost five wickets for 17 runs in just 36 balls, collapsing from 105 for 3 to 122 for 8.

Stand-in-skipper Youhana had given Pakistan hope with 60 runs off 75 balls with two sixes and two fours -- his seventh half century in his last nine innings that have fetched 587 runs -- but their total was never enough to trouble South Africa.

Scoreboard

Pakistan:
Mohammad Hafeez c Boucher b Nel 1
Yasir Hameed c Boucher b Hall 30
Faisal Iqbal c Hall b Nel 0
Yousuf Youhana c Pollock b Ne 60
Younis Khan c Boucher b Nel 13
Naved Latif b Pollock 4
Shoaib Malik b Ntini 5
Rashid Latif b Kallis 18
Shoaib Akhtar c Boucher b Ntini 0
Mohammad Sami not out 16
Shabbir Ahmed b Ntini 2

Extras (lb-2, w-6): 8

Total (all out in 47.4 overs): 157

Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-16, 3-59, 4-105, 5-114, 6-120, 7-122, 8-122, 9-150.

Bowling: Pollock 10-4-9-1, Nel 10-0-39-4, Ntini 7.4-0-25-3, Hall 8-1-31-1, Peterson 5-0-31-0, Kallis 7-0-20-1.

South Africa:
G Smith b Sami 13
H Gibbs b Akhtar 41
J Kallis not out 58
J Rudolph c Rashid b Hafeez 20
B Dippenaar c Hafeez b Malik 11
M Boucher not out 4

Extras (lb-6, w-1, nb-4): 11

Total (for 4 wickets in 38.5 overs): 158

Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-73, 3-116, 4-153

Bowling: Shoaib Akhtar 7-2-23-1, Mohammad Sami 6-0-38-1, Shabbir Ahmed 6-1-36-0, Shoaib Malik 10-0-29-1, Mohammad Hafeez 9.5-1-26-1.