Ricky Ponting rose from his sick bed to watch Shane Warne bowl Australia to victory in fading light in the second Test against South Africa in Durban.

And Warne's performance must have helped ease the captain's queasiness with his brilliant display of taking six wickets, which earned him man of the match.

Australia clinched a 112-run victory and claimed an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series when Warne had Makhaya Ntini lbw for 0 at 17.15 local time (0215 AEDT) with 43 balls to spare.

Warne took advantage of a favourable pitch to grab six for 86 from 35.5 overs with Stuart Clark (2-46) playing a superb support role.

Chasing 410 to win, South Africa was bowled out for 297 with Mark Boucher unbeaten on 51.

Ponting, who equalled a world record in this match by scoring twin centuries in a Test for the third time, was struck down by food poisoning overnight and did not take the field on Tuesday.

"I tried to get some sleep (at the hotel) but with the cricket on I found it pretty hard to sleep so I laid back and watched a bit of that and watched the boys win a Test match," Ponting said.

"Shane has capped off the day beautifully. He has bowled beautifully, won us the Test match and won us the series.

"There's lots of emotion in the dressing room at the moment. It's a great series win for us and I'm looking forward to Friday."

South African captain Graeme Smith, as he did throughout his side's 2-0 series loss in Australia in December-January, spoke of Australia's ability to grasp the key moments.

"We just let ourselves down there and we need to improve in those areas," Smith said.

"To play someone for four or five months, it does take its toll.

"Their key performers have done really well. He (Warne) was the key difference today.

"If they didn't have a world-class leg-spinner we could have got through the day."

Warne, 36, sprinted towards the boundary and was mobbed by team-mates after Ntini was unluckily adjudged lbw.

Boucher and spinner Nicky Boje (48) added 72 for the eighth wicket and held up the Australians for 83 minutes before substitute fielder Michael Clarke took a fine catch at mid-off.

Andre Nel (14) and Boucher stayed for another 68 minutes and 39 runs before Nel became Warne's fifth victim, caught at slip.

Warne had removed AB De Villiers (46) and captain Graeme Smith (40) after an opening stand of 91. The home side lost 4-31 late in the opening session, with Warne claiming first-innings century-maker Jacques Kallis for seven and Herschelle Gibbs (17) falling in the next over to Stuart Clark (2-46).

Ashwell Prince (7) was out soon after lunch and Jacques Rudolph (36) shouldered arms against Warne and watched the ball roll up his arm and across his glove to be caught in close.

Shaun Pollock's woeful footwork led to his demise bowled by Brett Lee for 4.

The Australians will catch a flight to Johannesburg on Wednesday in preparation for the third and final Test starting Friday at the Wanderers Stadium.

Ponting became the second player in Test history to complete twin hundreds in three separate games along with India's Sunil Gavaskar who achieved the feat in the 1970s.

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