They never recovered from a merciless onslaught by the opening pair of Daryll Cullinan and Michael Rindel, who hit 19 boundaries in the first 15 overs before England were permitted to drop more fielders out to protect the deep area.
The disappointment will be felt most keenly by England's captain, Adam Hollioake, whose personal contribution of an unbeaten 83 off 91 balls helped produce their highest-one-day total, 281 for seven, against South Africa.
Hollioake and Neil Fairbrother came together when England were in considerable strife at 95 for five and added 112 in 24 overs, a record sixth-wicket stand against any country.
When the England captain came off ashen-faced after two hours in the sapping humidity, with temperatures in the high nineties during daylight, he headed straight for a corner of the dressing-room where he sat with an ice-pack on his head.
Hollioake led his side out after the interval, but was still suffering from dehydration and had to leave the field after only five overs for further resuscitation, not returning until the 15th, having left Graeme Hick in temporary charge.
England's manager, David Graveney, said: ``Adam was dizzy to the point of almost falling over. We managed to get some liquid and food into him, but all the players found the conditions extremely difficult in terms of temperature and the humidity after coming out from an English autumn.''
England had spent a week in Dhaka acclimatising, whereas South Africa - the bulk of whose players recently won the Commonwealth Games gold medal in similar conditions in Kuala Lumpur - only arrived on Thursday.
Graveney acknowledged that it was a long way to come for one match: ``''This is a shoot-out and a most demanding contest.''
On his return Hollioake eventually made a belated appearance in the attack, but went for 16 off two overs in his first spell, though it was his swift reactions in picking up a ball at short midwicket and throwing almost in one movement to Jack Russell over the stumps which led to the run out of Jacques Kallis.
There was no hiding place, however, from the South African fourth-wicket pair of Hansie Cronje and Jonty Rhodes, and even Alistair Brown was used for one over in an ineffectual attempt to stem the tidal wave.
These two added 117 in 16 overs before Hollioake came back and Cronje, his opposing captain, skied an outrageous pull to a ball outside off-stump. By then Cronje had done enough damage, hitting two sixes and five boundaries in 67 off 56 balls.
It was left to Rhodes, so often the scourge of England last summer, to take South Africa in a canter to their six-wicket victory with 20 balls to spare.
They adopted the ploy of using off-spinner Pat Symcox with the new ball and he quickly foxed Alistair Brown, who sliced to extra cover in the fourth over.
Mark Ealham, pushed up the order with instructions to attack, was a revelation. Gone was the cautious approach. In its place was a whirl of fours which drove Symcox out of the attack and then three fours in an over off Cronje.
Ealham was eventually caught off a skier after hitting 44 off 37 balls, adding 66 in 10 overs with Nick Knight. That signalled a mini-collapse, four wickets going down for 15 runs. Two fell in one over by Kallis, Hick leg before when a ball skidded through his guard and Knight, caught one-handed low down by Mark Boucher.
In the next over Graham Lloyd tried to run Nick Boje fine, but the ball flicked his pad - outside the line of off, it seemed.
Fairbrother's 56 off 78 balls included one huge six off Symcox, and Jack Russell gave Hollioake good support at the end, but South Africa's coach, Bob Woolmer, observed at the interval that England were ``40 runs short'' on such a pitch. His prediction proved correct.
Cullinan was in imperious form, reaching his half-century in 40 balls, with 12 boundaries. It took the introduction of Ashley Giles and Hick to stem the flood of runs and get rid of the two openers. Generally, England failed badly at containment.
A new no-ball rule is being adopted for the Wills International Cup tournament in Dhaka, an amendment to the law already in use in county cricket. Any runs scored off a no-ball have counted in addition to the extra, with an extra ball to come as usual.