The home side started off well, thanks to a tight opening spell by Makhaya Ntini and Shaun Pollock but the intensity levels seemed to lessen as the innings progressed.

Vusi Sibanda produced a gritty half century at the top of the order while Hamilton Mazakadza chipped in with useful contributions to prop up Zimbabwe.

After Zimbabwe opted to bat first, Ntini and Pollock made life tough. Ntini, in particular, troubled the Zimbabweans with his pace and lift off the pitch.

Once the opening-duo were rested, the intensity levels dropped and Sibanda, in particular, took toll. Where only 30 runs came in the first 11 overs, the next 16 overs saw South Africa bleed 80 runs before Jacques Kallis, leading South Africa for the first time in an ODI, brought himself on to bowl in an effort to stem the rot.

Charl Langeveldt and Robin Peterson were disappointing but considering that South Africa have not played a one-day game since making a then-world record total of 438 for nine in beating Australia in Johannesburg in March, maybe, this rustiness was only to be expected.

Kallis, filling in for the injured Graeme Smith, however, was his typical self, running in hard and extracting bounce and movement.

The credit, however, must be given to the Zimbabwean top order. Sibanda not only showed commitment but also displayed the necessary technique to fight it out in the middle. Initially he chose abstinence, trying to see off the new ball, but whenever the bowlers slipped he indulged.

Sibanda off-drove Langeveldt to reach 48 and then smashed Robin Petersen, the left-arm spinner, inside-out to bring up his fifth half-century. But against the run of play he threw it away when he tried to pull a delivery from outside the off stump and only lobbed up an easy catch to mid-off.

Chibhabha played the second fiddle role perfectly, settling in at first before starting to rotate the strike. But at the fall of Sibanda's wicket he counterattacked. Masakadza, involved in a valuable 61-run partnership with Chibhabha, started off in an attacking fashion but both fell tamely to expose the lower middle-order.