South Africa displayed a staggering level of arrogance in their handling of the tour itinerary to Zimbabwe and yet, for the second successive day, the hammering they handed out on the field was far meaner than their pre-tour snubs. With Zimbabwe still battling to spread the gospel of cricket to the vast majority of its population, the CFX Academy is the great hope for the future. A warm-up fixture against the best of the current Academy and some of its best graduates seemed the least South Africa could do to raise the profile of the game. They refused. Worse, they arrived in the country a mere 48 hours before the first Test and are even returning home for three days before the final two one-day matches rather than stay in Zimbabwe.

The sad truth for Zimbabwe, however, is that their performance here has vindicated South Africa's decision to treat them as second-class cricketing cousins. In fact, the second day was far less humiliating than the first thanks to a controlled, disciplined Zimbabwean performance in the morning yielding just 68 runs based on defensive fields and sensible bowling. But the damage was done on day one and as soon as Jacques Kallis reached his century the floodgates opened again and the slaughter continued.

That Shaun Pollock declared when he did, half an hour before tea, surprised everyone. Another 23 runs, after all, and a new record South African total would have been registered. It should not be a surprise because the big brothers from down south are gearing everything towards the back-to-back series against Australia later this year and the object of the warm-up Tests, like this, is to re-establish the ruthless efficiency and killer instinct that have characterized successful South Africa teams in the past.

Andy Flower, of course, is the neon-bright exception that proves the rule of class. He is unbeaten on 54. If he makes a century, which is possible, and somehow steers his team towards saving the follow-on, which is all but impossible, he may change the entire attitude of the South African team and their administrators, and therefore the effect they may have on the future of the game in Zimbabwe.

But then, Andy Flower always has been more important than mere runs.

Neil Manthorp is a leading freelance cricket writer in South Africa

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