South Africa v Zimbabwe

At Durban, February 27, 2005. South Africa won by 131 runs. Toss: Zimbabwe.

Taibu, who said before the tour that he would be happy "just to learn", fielded first again, but his bowlers learned little from an even heavier flogging. Smith collected his third century in seven matches and, a rarity for him, hit four sixes. Gibbs exacted brutal revenge on Utseya, whose neardonkey drops had fooled him at Johannesburg; this time, his six overs cost ten runs apiece. And Kemp equalled Boucher's South African record of 50 from 19 balls, five of which cleared the ropes. An injury to Panyangara hampered Zimbabwe, but the fact that his stand-in, Masakadza, looked as good as anyone else said it all. When it was their turn, Zimbabwe simply attempted to survive 50 overs. They did, and no doubt felt a sense of achievement. For everyone else, it was purgatory.

Man of the Match: G. C. Smith. Attendance: 7,845.