England won their first one-day international series in South Africa at the fourth attempt after the fifth and final match between the teams was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
The match, at Kingsmead, Durban, was the second of the series to be washed out - the first in Johannesburg suffered a similar fate - but comprehensive victories in Port Elizabeth and Pretoria either side of a thrashing in Cape Town, earned England the spoils. Paul Collingwood was named man of the series.
South Africa’s hopes of squaring the series were dampened by a week of rain in Durban, which made prospects of play poor from the outset. The umpires, Rod Tucker and Marais Erasmus, planned to inspect the pitch an hour after the scheduled start of play, but as they were about to emerge from the pavilion the rain set in again. Play was finally called off two hours later.
Australia had been the only team previously to win a series in South Africa, with the host country having won the past 15 series on home soil and 21 out of 24 in total. Australia won series in 1997 and 2002 and drew one in 1993/94.
England begin their four-match Test series against South Africa in Centurion on December 16.