Pollock's aggressive innings helped set up an easy victory

South Africa cruised to a seven-wicket win over Pakistan to tie their one-day series 2-2 with one match remaining.

Tight bowling and sharp fielding helped restrict the hosts to 230-9 in Multan despite 82 from Younus Khan, who put on 91 with captain Shoaib Malik (45).

Herschelle Gibbs (39) got the reply off to a flier before Graeme Smith (81) and Shaun Pollock (90) shared 159 runs.

Victory was achieved with more than 12 overs left and the Proteas will go to Lahore for Monday's finale confident.

Pakistan were always up against it once Shahid Afridi mis-timed a pull off Makhaya Ntini's fourth ball, Gibbs took a diving catch at mid-wicket to dismiss Yasir Hameed and Mohammad Yousuf was run out by a strong Johan Botha throw from the deep to make it 38-3.

But Younus clubbed Pollock and Botha over long-on for sixes as he and Malik revived the innings with a partnership spanning 114 deliveries.

Malik was undone by a slower Jacques Kallis delivery and spooned a catch to opposite number Smith at mid-off, before Andre Nel saw Younus mis-time a pull and Misbah-ul-Haq edge behind in the same over.

Abdur Rehman (31) and Kamran Akmal (28) provided a flourish at the end, including 18 off Nel's ninth over, as 50 runs came off the final 30 balls.

We thought we had a good score but we didn't bowl well Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik

However that looked inadequate once Gibbs set about the Pakistan bowling, picking up three of his seven fours in Umar Gul's third over and two more in the next from Mohammad Asif.

He was adjudged lbw to one that leg-spinner Afridi appeared to be sliding down the leg-side but it mattered little as Pollock joined Smith in continuing South Africa's smooth progress.

Smith was quick to punish anything too full on a pitch that had no real pace in it, although Gul failed to take a return catch when he was on 74.

Pollock was set to complete his century after lofting Gul over long-on for six and being caught off a no-ball next up.

Rao Iftikhar Anjum had him snapped up at long-off and Smith at deep mid-wicket but by then the tourists had all but secured a comprehensive triumph.

Smith said afterwards: "We bowled well to restrict Pakistan and might have caught them at 180-190.

"But still we chased well and now it is up to the fifth and final match where we would like to win and take the series.

Malik blamed his team's poor bowling for the defeat.

"We thought we had a good score but we didn't bowl well," he said.