There were other factors in South Africa's victory by 55 runs, such as a pitch freshened by the dew under the floodlights and the home team's irresistible fielding.
But none was more telling than the intense aggression of Jacques Kallis and Lance Klusener that transformed a blazing West Indies start into smouldering embers.
Setting out in pursuit of South Africa's imposing 274 for eight, compiled under a hot, clear blue sky and on a hard, dry pitch, the newest West Indies opening pair, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Junior Murray, pummelled a six and 13 fours between them in adding 88 from the first 11.3 overs.
Ignoring calls for above-the-shoulder no balls and wides, of which they shared 11, Klusener and Kallis responded with their short-pitched assault with devastating effect. Three wickets fell for 13 in the next 4.5 overs and a fourth 24 runs and 4.3 overs later to effectively snuff out the West Indies' fire.
It was left to captain Brian Lara to direct remaining operations but this is not the Lara who graced the same Kingsmead ground with a still remembered hundred against Pakistan in the three-way series five years ago.
Never allowed to break free, he managed 32 off 49 balls when he was caught behind from a careless dab shot off his counterpart, Hansie Cronje.
At 164 for five in the 29th over, his dismissal effectively settled the outcome, even though Keith Semple batted with calm commonsense for 22 and Neil McGarrell brought a brief spark at the end before Jonty Rhodes appropriately ended the match with another extraordinary catch at point.
The West Indies were 55 runs away from their goal and 6.5 overs short of their quota.
The assault by Chanderpaul and Murray initially shook the South Africans.
In the absence of Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald, their reserve new ball bowlers, Steve Elworthy and Andrew Hall, were so manhandled that Cronje reverted to the off-spin of Pat Symcox after a mere six overs. When he too was hammered for 21 from three, the captain made the fateful move to introduce Kallis in partnership with Klusener.
Two searing bouncers from Elworthy to Murray, the second of which clapped onto the ear-piece of the helmet and cut his ear, was enough evidence of the change in the pitch's character under the lights. Soon Klusener was following suit. Back on the field for only a few minutes after receiving six stitches in a gash on the right leg sustained while fielding, he delivered two quick blows.
First, he induced an uncontrolled hook from Chanderpaul who struck 52 off 44 balls with a six over third man and eight sweetly struck boundaries.
The ball spiralled behind square-leg where Hall demonstrated that all South Africans are good in the field with a well-judged catch. It was the first of four wickets to fall to the bouncer. There were, inevitably, two run outs, both direct hits, including Murray's.
Sauntering in at the bowler's end on a single to short fine leg, he was startled to be well short of his ground when Klusener's sharp throw broke the stumps.
Right away, Lara took a painful blow on the wrist from a genuinely quick Kallis bouncer and was repeatedly made to hop around as he does these days. When Hooper got up to Kallis' end, he was greeted by another throat-ball that he could only fend off in sheer self-preservation, the ball lobbing from the bat handle to the keeper. Keith Arthurton cracked a couple of wide ones from Klusener to the boundary but underestimated Kallis' speed, was late on the hook and presented a tame catch to midon.
Lara fought gamely to put the pieces back together, adding 38 with Semple, but the challenge always looked beyond him and Cronje with his medium-pace and his controlled captaincy ensured there was no escape. His three for 45 followed his 58 off 42 balls and earned him the Man-of-the-Match award.
He entered in the 33rd over and was out in the 47th over to Curtly Ambrose's slower ball.
He started with an early six over long-on from the wayward Nixon McLean and added two in the same direction in left-arm spinner Neil McGarrell's fifth and final over along with three fours. It was just the impetus the innings required after Herschelle Gibbs (29 off 44 balls with two sixes off Reon King and two fours), Daryl Cullinan (46 off 65 balls) and the versatile, left-handed Klusener (64 off 74 balls with a six and four fours) had provided the foundation of 156 for three in the 34th over.
Once again, Ambrose was the West Indies' best bowler with two for 31 from 10 overs divided into spells of six and four while Hooper and the left-arm Arthurton were economical in their full quotas. But McGarrell was plundered for 49 from five overs and McLean's eight overs cost 68.
The manner of Cullinan's dismissal prompted booing from some sections of a sell-out crowd of 21,000 and animated discussion in the media. He was given out handled the ball on Lara's appeal to umpire David Orchard after playing Keith Arthurton into the ground and catching the rebound with his right hand.
It was a thoughtless and probably innocent action but the ball was not dead and might well have fallen back into the stumps.
There could be no doubt the decision was correct nor any question that Lara was acting outside the spirit of the game, as was charged by some television commentators.
It was only the second instance of its kind in One-day Interna-tionals - India's Mohinder Amarnath was the other - and was a talking point. But it was immaterial to the outcome of the game.