Upul Chandana and Sanath Jayasuriya shared eight wickets as Sri Lanka cruised to a 49-run victory and a 5-0 series whitewash over South Africa in the fifth and final One-Day International on Tuesday.

The confident hosts seized control of the match soon after being put into bat on a flat batting pitch, piling up a huge 308 for eight in their 50 overs, before bowling out South Africa for 259 in 48.1 overs.

Opener Jayasuriya top scored with 79 from 85 balls and was well-supported by Saman Jayantha (51), Kumar Sangakkara (72) and Mahela Jayawardene (39).

South Africa soon fell behind the required run rate after the early loss of Herschelle Gibbs, who was bowled off his inside edge for 11, and some tight work from Sri Lanka's new bowlers.

Sri Lanka's clean sweep condemned South Africa to their tenth successive defeat. The last and only time that South Africa lost 10 straight matches was in 1994 under Keppler Wessels's captaincy.

Jacques Kallis led a fight back, first adding 48 runs with skipper Graeme Smith, who was eventually run out for 25 by a brilliant flat throw from the boundary by Chandana.

Kallis then added 114 from 137 balls with Jacques Rudolph (48), frustrating Sri Lanka's quintet of slow bowlers and giving the tourists a sniff of an improbable victory.

But leg spinner Chandana knocked South Africa back when Rudolph was caught at short mid-wicket and Mark Boucher, who crashed 24 from 19 balls, was stumped.

When Kallis, who finished with 101 from 127 balls having hit seven fours and one six, top edged a slog-sweep with 88 runs still needed from 47 balls the game was effectively over.

BAD START

Chandana snapped up another two wickets to finish with career best five for 61, while Jayasuriya took three for 48 after mopping up the tail.

Sri Lanka started the morning badly, with Avishka Gunawardene chopping the third ball onto his stumps, but they then stole the initiative as Jayasuriya and Jayantha added 125 in 132 balls.

The second-wicket pair started cautiously, scoring 13 runs from the first five overs, but then exploded as 79 runs were plundered off the next 10 overs.

After the fielding restrictions were lifted, the run rate dipped slightly as South Africa turned to their slower bowlers and Sri Lanka consolidated on their fine start.

Jayantha, playing because normal skipper Marvan Atapattu needed to be with his sick young daughter, was finally caught behind off a Lance Klusener outswinger.

Jayasuriya and Sangakkara maintained the momentum, adding 39 runs in 38 balls, before Jayasuriya popped up a simple catch to short cover off Graeme Smith's part-time off breaks.

But Sangakkara and Jayawardene, who ticked along comfortably at a shade under a run-a-ball before launching an all-out assault in the final ten overs, kept going with an 84-run stand.

Scoreboard

Sri Lanka:
A.Gunawardene b Pollock 0
S.Jayasuriya c Gibbs b Smith 79
S.Jayantha c Boucher b Klusener 51
K.Sangakkara c Kallis b Langveldt 72
M.Jayawardene lbw Langeveldt 39
T.Dilshan b Langeveldt 18
U.Chandana b Pollock 12
K.Lokuarachchi run out 4
F.Maharoof not out 5
N.Zoysa not out 1.

Extras: (lb-11 nb-4 w-12) 27.

Total: (for eight wickets, 50 overs) 308

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-125, 3-164, 4-248, 5-279, 6-295, 7-302, 8-303.

Did not bat: R.Herath

Bowling: S.Pollock 10-0-58-2 (nb-2), M.Ntini 6-1-36-0, C.Langeveldt 7-0-31-3 (w-1), G.Smith 7-0-48-1 (w-8), N.Boje 9-1-41-0 (w-1), L.Klusener 6-0-42-1 (w-2, nb-2), J.Duminy 2-0-10-0, J.Kallis 3-0-31-0

South Africa:
South Africa G.Smith run out 25
H.Gibbs b Zoysa 6
J.Kallis c Sangakkara b Chandana 101
J.Rudolph c Dilshan c Chandana 48
M.Boucher st Sangakkara b Chandana 24
S.Pollock c Lokuarachchi b Jayasuriya 11
J-P.Duminy c Gunawardene b Chandana 0
L.Klusener c Chandana b Jayasuriya 4
N.Boje not out 21
C.Langeveldt c Sangakkara b Jayasuriya 2
M.Ntini c sub b Chandana 7.

Extras: (b-1, lb-3, w-6) 10

Total: (all out, 48.1 overs) 259

Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-59, 3-173, 4-210, 5-221, 6-222, 7-225, 8-239, 9-242

Bowling: N.Zoysa 8-0-25-1 (w-2), F.Maharoof 6-0-42-0 (w-1), T.Dilshan 5.5-0-30-0 (w-1), S.Jayasuriya 10-0-48-3 (w-1), K.Lokuarachchi 6-0-29-0, R.Herath 3-0-19-0, U.Chandana 9.1-0-61-5 (w-1), S.Jayantha 0.1-0-1-0

Result: Sri Lanka win by 49 runs

Series: Sri Lanka win 5-0