South Africa were bewitched by their demons as much as they were beaten by England here yesterday, losing this important Cricket World Cup match by six runs.

They were unable to successfully chase down England's modest 171, losing the game in the lengthening shadows of a hot Indian afternoon.

Batting second they started well, stuttered and re-grouped, only to find the total tantalisingly beyond reach, despite last-gasp heroics from Dale Steyn (20) and Morne van Wyk (13).

In a game as close as this, their 20 extras proved costly.

As they travel to Nagpur today to prepare for their crucial game against India on Saturday, they might reflect that bowling 12 wides in a match like this is to bowl a dozen too many.

"We always knew it was a wicket you couldn't get too ahead of yourself on," said a clearly disappointed Graeme Smith afterwards. "All credit to England for hanging in as they did in the last 15 overs."

South Africa's chase started well enough. With Hashim Amla his usual wristy self and Smith batting with circumspection at the other end, the two looked relatively untroubled.

Smith brought up the 50 partnership with a meaty cover-drive for four off Graeme Swann, but with the total on 63, Smith gloved the thinnest of edges to Matt Prior off the spinner.

Amla played on for 42 moments later, and when the out-of-form Jacques Kallis went for 15 with the total on 82, you could almost feel the shiver of apprehension in the Proteas' dressing room.

With the top three gone, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis consolidated. They ran well between wickets and burgled the odd four, their precious partnership reaching 42 before a masterful Jimmy Anderson cutter nudged the bails gently off De Villiers's stumps.

Anderson bowled JP Duminy with a jaffa moments later, and when Du Plessis was run out by Ian Bell, the jitters became palpable.

The England innings was one of stark contrasts, the fourth-wicket stand of 99 between Jonathan Trott and Ravi Bopara being sandwiched between some ordinary batting.

After winning the toss, England started catastrophically, losing skipper Andrew Strauss and fellow opener Kevin Pietersen in the day's first over. The bowler was none other than Robin Peterson, chosen to open in favour of Johan Botha.

After a beguiling first over, the ball turning markedly, he picked up a third wicket in his fourth, having Bell wonderfully caught and bowled off a delivery that seemed to hold on the pitch. Dashing forward he slid his hands under the ball just before it died. Peterson finished his first spell with figures of 4-2-4-3.

Bell's departure brought Bopara to the wicket and he and Trott regrouped, guiding the innings through its early tempest.

Slow and crumbly, the pitch was never easy. The two batted intelligently, though, both picking up hard-earned fifties as the score passed a hundred.

With their departures so the England innings folded. Tahir and Steyn played their part, but no one bowled better than Morne Morkel. On a pitch showing signs of wear and with the ball softening, he dismissed the dangerous Bopara, already having taken care of Prior.