CENTURION, South Africa, Feb 13 (AFP) - England batsman Kevin Pietersen hit his third century of the series but it was not enough to stop a South African win in the seventh and final one-day international at Centurion Park Sunday.

The South African-born Pietersen hammered 116 off 110 balls to enable England to reach 240 all out after they had been floundering at 68 for six.

Ashwell Prince then made a solid 62 not out as South Africa won by three wickets to clinch the seven-match contest 4-1 with a three-wicket victory. One match was tied and one rained out.

Pietersen’s one-man assault on the South African bowlers earned him the man of the series award despite his team winning only one match.

A late addition to the England side, Pietersen said he had arrived in South Africa with no great expectations.

"I didn’t know Andrew Flintoff was going to be injured so I thought I was going to be carrying drinks for a while," he said.

Instead, Pietersen, 24, produced consistent displays of clean hitting and quick scoring that the big-hitting Flintoff would have been hard-pressed to emulate.

He thrashed 454 runs in six innings, facing only 430 balls, and had an average of 151.33. The next highest run-scorer for England was captain Michael Vaughan with 159.

Vaughan said South Africa deserved to win the one-day series after England shaded the home team 2-1 in a five-match Test series.

"It has been an excellent summer of cricket between two evenly-matched teams," said the skipper.

"South Africa kept us under pressure in the one-day games but there have been some big positives. A few of the young lads have shown their potential. Kevin Pietersen has been outstanding throughout and Kabir Ali has bowled well."

South African captain Graeme Smith said his team had played good cricket.

"But it is important for us to build on this and to keep winning," he said.

South Africa start a home series against Zimbabwe later this month before leaving for a tour of the West Indies next month.

Smith won the toss Sunday and sent England in to bat on a slow pitch. The tourists crumbled to 68 for six before Pietersen and Giles came together in a seventh wicket stand of 104.

Pietersen was relatively subdued as he and Giles dug England out of trouble. It took him 72 balls to score his first 33 runs but he switched back into the bludgeoning mode which has characterised his performances in South Africa when he hit left-arm spinner Nicky Boje for two sixes over midwicket in three balls.

They were the first of six sixes for the tall Pietersen, who also hit 10 fours. It took him 80 deliveries to reach 50 but he only needed 28 more to notch his century.

Pietersen, 24, was not originally included in England’s squad but was called up after an impressive debut in Zimbabwe earlier in the season. He became a first choice player when Flintoff went home before the one-day series to have an ankle operation.

Giles made a career-best 41 before Kabir Ali, who made a breezy 25, shared a 53-run stand with Pietersen for the eighth wicket off only 27 balls.

England opening bowler Darren Gough, his team’s most consistent bowler in the series, could not play because of a virus and was replaced by fast bowler Steve Harmison.

South Africa always seemed in control during the run chase as Smith and Hall put on 46 for the first wicket and Smith and Jacques Kallis added 60 for the second wicket.

Smith and Kallis were out in successive overs but Prince and Mark Boucher shared a fifth wicket stand of 70.

There was a flurry of wickets towards the end before Prince hit the winning runs with an over to spare.

M.Trescothick c Gibbs b Pollock 0

G.Jones c Kemp b Nel 14

M.Vaughan b Ntini 1

A.Strauss c Boucher b Nel 15

K.Pietersen b Hall 116

V.Solanki c Smith b Boje 5

P.Collingwood run out (Smith) 10

A.Giles b Ntini 41

K.Ali b Hall 25

A.Wharf not out 3

S.Harmison b Hall 0

Extras (nb-3 w-7) 10

Fall of wickets: 1-0 2-1 3-32 4-36 5-54 6-68 7-172 8-225 9-240

Bowling: Pollock 10-1-36-1 (nb-2), Ntini 9-2-47-2 (w-3), Nel 10-1-60-2 (w-1), Hall 9.5-1-52-3 (nb-1 w-2), Boje 10-0-34-1 (w-1), Kallis 1-0-11-0

South Africa

G.Smith c Solanki b Giles 47

A.Hall c Harmison b Wharf 23

J.Kallis c Trescothick b Vaughan 36

H.Gibbs lbw b Harmison 0

A.Prince not out 62

M.Boucher run out (Strauss) 44

J.Kemp c Giles b Ali 4

S.Pollock c Collingwood b Wharf 6

N.Boje not out 1

Extras (lb-2 nb-2 w-14) 18

Fall of wickets: 1-46 2-106 3-107 4-148 5-218 6-228 7-236.

Did not bat: M Ntini, A Nel

Bowling: Wharf 10-2-51-2 (nb-2 w-1), Harmison 10-0-55-1 (w-8), Ali 9-0-48-1, Collingwood 5-0-25-0 (w-5), Giles 10-0-38-1, Vaughan 5-0-22-1

Result: South Africa won by three wickets

First match: England won by 26 runs (Duckworth/Lewis method)

Second match: Match tied

Third match: South Africa won by three wickets

Fourth match: South Africa won by 108 runs

Fifth match: South Africa won by seven runs

Sixth match: Match abandoned - rain