South Africa produced the best one-day cricket of their Australian tour to outclass New Zealand here Friday night and romp into the finals of the tri-nation series limited-overs tournament.
The Proteas, after being sent in by New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, smacked 270 for five wickets -- the highest total of the series -- at the WACA Ground before limiting the Kiwis to 203 for eight wickets as they crashed to their third defeat in a row.
South Africa snatched a priceless bonus point, as well as the four standard points for winning, because of the big margin of their win and moved to the top of the ladder with 18 points -- one ahead of New Zealand.
In Sunday's last qualifying match of the series, Australia, currently on 13 points, must win here and capture a bonus point to earn a passage to the showdown ahead of New Zealand.
If Australia win but fail to get home by a big enough margin to snatch a bonus point, they will finish level with New Zealand, who would qualify for the showdown because they have a 3-1 head-to-head winning record against the host nation in this competition.
Australia, World Cup one-day champions, have failed only twice to reach the finals of the annual one-day tournament since it began more than 20 years ago.
Only Craig McMillan (46 off 43
balls, with five fours and one six) showed glimpses of form with the bat as the Kiwis struggled under the lights.
South Africa's innings was salvaged by middle-order batsman Jonty Rhodes, who rescued his side with a fighting century as the Proteas rallied after being a parlous
35 for four in the 12th over.
Black Caps' skipper Stephen Fleming had won the toss and sent in the opposition on a pitch containing some moisture.
Rhodes, pacing himself beautifully, hit an unbeaten 107 from 135 balls, spanking nine boundaries for his second three-figure score in international one-day company.
But the most dynamic willowswinging came from South African skipper Shaun Pollock.
In a savage assault on the Kiwi bowlers at the end of the innings, he smashed an unbeaten 69, including six spectacular sixes, from 34 balls.
He launched a vicious attack on pace bowler James Franklin, crashing four successive sixes in a single over which cost 27 runs -- all to Pollock.
It was the most expensive over in an international limited-overs game in Australia.
The world record in international one-day matches is 30, achieved twice by Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya.
The Pollock blitz came immediately after he had been dropped by Chris Harris when he had made 26.
In the absence of injured stars Chris Cairns (sore back) and Shane Bond (strained thigh), both key members of the New Zealand attack, Fleming relied heavily on pace pair Dion Nash and Franklin.
Nash performed in heroic fashion, snapping up 3-16 in his first six overs as South Africa lost their four early wickets.
But Rhodes and wicketkeeper Mark Boucher (58 from 76 balls) fashioned a superb stand of 138 in 176 balls for the fifth wicket to provide a platform for the later big hitting.
Nash struck initially in his third over, having Herschelle Gibbs (8) caught low at first slip by Fleming.
In his next over, Nash spread-eagled the stumps of Neil McKenzie (three) with a superb yorker and two overs later ousted Jacques Kallis (11) in almost identical fashion.
Franklin had started the Proteas' early problems slide when he removed experienced campaigner Gary Kirsten (nought) in his second over.Rhodes and Boucher, coming together at the start of the 13th over, forged an invaluable partnership which became worth 100 in 94 minutes from 141 balls by the 36th over.
SCOREBOARD
Scorecard of the South Africa-New Zealand tri-nation series one-day day-night international at WACA Ground Friday:
SOUTH AFRICA
Gibbs c Fleming b Nash 8
Kirsten c Vincent b Franklin 0
Kallis b Nash 11
McKenzie b Nash 3
Rhodes not out 107
Boucher c Astle b Harris 58
Pollock not out 69
Extras: (lb-5, w-4, nb-5) 14
Total: (For 5 wkts in 50 overs) 270
Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-14, 3-23, 4-35, 5-173
Did not bat: N Boje, J Kemp, M Ntini, A Donald
Bowler O M R W
Franklin 10 0 65 1
Nash 10 0 37 3
Adams 10 0 57 0
Styris 8 0 43 0
Vettori 4 0 21 0
McMillan 3 0 15 0
Harris 5 0 27 1
NEW ZEALAND
Vincent c Boucher b Donald 22
Astle c Kallis b Ntini 0
Adams c Boucher b Ntini 10
Fleming c Boucher b Kallis 27
McMillan c Kirsten b Pollock 46
Styris c Kemp b Pollock 12
Harris lbw Boje 0
Nash c Gibbs b Donald 12
Parore not out 36
Vettori not out 20
Extras: (lb-9, w-5, nb-4) 18
Total: (For 8 wkts in 50 overs) 203
Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-22, 3-61, 472, 5-129, 6-130, 7-130, 8-156
Did not bat: J Franklin
Bowler O M R W
Pollock 10 1 55 2
Ntini 10 1 23 2
Kallis 10 1 44 1
Donald 10 2 35 2
Kemp 2 0 18 0
Boje 8 0 19 1
Result: South Africa won by 67 runs.
Man-of-the-match: Jonty
Rhodes.
Next match: Australia v South