Anybody would have thought the Zimbabwean team were distracted, such was the awfulness of their performance today. Maybe they had something on their minds - such as the fact that their country is tearing itself to pieces and descending into lawlessness. Heath Streak had an appalling day as captain, failing to find a single moment of inspiration and falling at least an hour behind the pace of play with his cumbersome thinking. On possibly the flattest wicket ever produced in Africa he maintained three slips, a gully and a short leg throughout the morning session while Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs raced to 142 for 0.

Line and length were crying out to be embraced, but they were ignored. An extra man was needed all day in the covers, and the rest of the infield was poorly arranged and frequently punctured - South Africa cracked an astonishing 70 boundaries.

The Zimbabwe side of last month would have ringed the infield, put the ball in the right place and strangled the batsmen out. Not pretty, but better than this.

Travis Friend resembled a youth with an exciting new toy when handed the new ball, but the sight of all those slips was too much for him and he sprayed it all over the place.

Douglas Hondo, first change in his debut Test, was outrageously poor. There are wicketkeepers who bowl more skillfully. Slow-medium, he neither swung it nor found any variation. Wide half-volleys were his preferred method of attack. He was clearly nervous in the morning, but goodness knows what his excuse was for the rest of the day.

Gibbs played one of his finest innings, and it was entertaining too. Were it not for the fact that he was clubbing seals his shotmaking would have screamed out for international acclaim. Kirsten, too, found rare timing and touch in a succession of cover-drives that managed to make even him look silky smooth.

The Zimbabweans begged South Africa and England to proceed with their tours despite the political turmoil, but they are clearly affected by it. They were too bad to claim they had an off day. They just weren't there at all.

Neil Manthorp is a leading freelance cricket writer in South Africa.

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