By David Ornstein

Twenty20 International, Johannesburg: South Africa 134-6 beat West Indies 131-7 by four wickets

Pollock took 1-19 then batted South Africa to the win

Veteran Shaun Pollock marked his final Twenty20 international by guiding South Africa to an absorbing win against West Indies in Johannesburg.

Batting first, the tourists made 131-7 with Jerome Taylor and Darren Sammy putting on 30 for the sixth wicket.

Their bowlers then reduced South Africa to 77-6 and victory looked likely.

But an exhibition of brutal hitting from Pollock (36) and Albie Morkel (28) saw the hosts to a four-wicket triumph with just four balls remaining.

West Indies went into the match depleted by the absence of their captain Chris Gayle, who failed to recover from the broken thumb which ruled him out of the third Test, and they made a poor start.

Profiting from conditions that were perfectly suited to seam bowling, Makhaya Ntini ran out Dwayne Smith off his own bowling before having Marlon Samuels caught by wicket-keeper Mark Boucher.

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Morne Morkel, returning from a foot injury, was hit for six by Denesh Ramdin with the third ball of his first over but the paceman quickly took revenge.

Two balls later Ramdin drove at a beautiful Morkel delivery that moved off the seam and carried to Johan Botha at slip via the outside edge.

Runako Morton gloved a Botha delivery onto his own stumps before Justin Ontong had Shivnarine Chanderpaul caught Botha at point.

Rawl Lewis gifted AB de Villiers a catch off Pollock at mid-on, while stand-in captain Dwayne Bravo offered some resistance before pulling Ntini straight to JP Duminy at long-on.

The Proteas made hard work of their response, Jerome Taylor bowling both Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith.

Sammy then dished up a blistering spell - he had De Villiers, Duminy and Ontong caught in quick succession - to leave South Africa staring at defeat.

When Rawl Lewis took an outstanding catch on the boundary to dismiss Boucher off Samuels that prospect looked even more likely.

At one point the run rate for South Africa surpassed 10 an over but the 34-year-old Pollock and Morkel bludgeoned their side past the finishing line with a stand of 57.

"It was a good wicket to bowl on and I knew we just needed one good partnership.