South Africa, chasing a not-so-formidable West Indies total of 245, reached the victory, 248 for four with exactly three overs to spare.
Captain Hansie Cronje led his side from the front with an unbeaten 61 off 77 deliveries to ensure a triumph for coach Bob Woolmer's hard-core professionals who never allowed their opponents to take the initiative despite an eye-pleasing century from West Indies opener Philo Wallace.
After the match, the legendary South African Barry Richards perfectly portrayed the performance of the Proteas in the Mini World Cup, calling it a victory for a committed team that lifted the big title on a big day of a real big event, the biggest ever enacted in Bangla-desh.
Kallis clinched the coveted Player of the Final trophy for a career best five for 30 in 7. 3 overs, the best bowling feat by a South African against the Caribbeans. The Middlesex all-rounder also chipped in with a useful 37 off 51 balls.
But it was also Cronje who shone in his own way, keeping himself at the crease until the team was ready for a victory lap. His responsible innings featured a quartet of fours.
For the South African captain, the big moment came minutes later when he was handed the ``heavy'' trophy, a wonderful creation of a Jaipur jeweller, by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Ably supported by Dale Benkenstein, who scored a fluent 27 in a 74-runs stand for the sixth wicket, Cronje put on 37 runs for the unbroken seventh wicket with Derek Crookes, who hit the winning runs--- a four over mid-wicket -- in a fitting way.
The West Indies bowling and fielding were no where near the disciplined showing they had produced in the previous matches, leaving the South African's enough option to plan their chase.
The Caribbean batting, apart from a few flashes of brilliance, did not live up to the standard they had set in this tournament.
Brian Lara did not set the final alight as expected, his Dhaka campaign ended in a most ignominious way when the super bat was bowled round his legs by left-arm spinner Derek Crookes after scoring only 11.
Wallace however stood out as the watchman for the team as well as the most entertaining batsman in the tournament.
The big man from Barbados scored his maiden one-day international hundred, a terrific 103 off 102 balls embellished with five towering sixes and eleven savage hits across the ropes.
Vice-captain Carl Hooper finally came good with a polished 49 off 56 balls, but there was no one around to take the Caribbeans to a formidable total after Wallace had set the pace.
West Indies lost their last four wickets for only 32 runs in the last nine overs, thanks to the inspired spell from Kallis, who backed by some excellent fielding ripped through the fragile West Indies lower-order.
For the crowd, it was more than a mere cricket competition.
It will take a while for the knowledgeable Bangladesh audience to forget a sensational Jhonty Rhodes, who has made fielding a form of art, an electrifying Keith Arthurton, a class-apart Sachin Tendulkar, the Chris Harris cameo in the nail-biting opening match or the exhilarating experience of the West Indies fast men bowling in tandem and off-course the South African victory lap at the end of a nine-day celebration of cricket, unprecedented in the history of Bangladesh.