In the end, it was so easy for South Africa.
The cricket World Cup Super 8s confrontation with England had been billed as a quarter-final, two big-hitting teams who would fight like demons for the chance to play against world champion Australia in the semifinals.
South Africa's Jacques Kallis avoids a bouncer during a Cricket World Cup Super 8s match with England on Tuesday.
(B.K.Bangash/Associated Press)
But the only demons around at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Tuesday were the ones England's cricketers have been battling for the past six months — demons that saw the batsmen demolished for 154 and the bowlers smashed around the park like schoolkids bowling at South Africa's batsmen.
Thousands of English tourists booed the their team from the ground after South Africa's nine-wicket victory, a result that revealed a huge gulf in quality between the two nations in one day cricket.
The result means Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa are in the semifinals, while England and host West Indies are eliminated.
England captain Michael Vaughan was adamant his team's plan was on track at 111 for three in the 30th over. "But then we had another of our collapses," he said.
Vaughan won't resign
Vaughan said he had no plans to resign as captain but called for a new strategy for one day cricket.
"It's a sad day for England. It's a horrible feeling to walk off the pitch in Barbados and get booed by our own supporters," he said.
Coach Duncan Fletcher will also be facing calls to resign, especially after England handed the Ashes back to Australia so meekly a few months ago in a 5-0 thrashing.
Andrew Hall, who has batted in just about every position for his country and still bowls competitively despite being shot in the hand in a mugging in 1998, was masterful with the ball. He took five for 18 in a devastating spell of reverse swing bowling after England won the toss and decided to bat.
In nine balls he accounted for Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Paul Nixon and Sajid Mahmood, ripping the heart out of England's middle order. He then came back on to finish the job and dismiss last man Jimmy Anderson.
Andre Nel took three wickets for 35, including that of England's batting hero Kevin Pietersen. The England batsman had announced that the criticism he gets for deserting his native South Africa inspired him against the Proteas. It didn't on Tuesday. He chipped an ugly shot to mid-off, where his old nemesis Graeme Smith made a diving catch.
Andrew Strauss played bravely for 46 and Paul Collingwood hit 30. But England looked on the defensive throughout the match and South Africa's bowlers dominated from the start, when Shaun Pollock bowled a typically restricting spell of none for 17 from 10 overs to frustrate batsmen into playing false shots.
A strong response
South Africa's response to England's 154 was brutal. Opening bowlers Mahmood and Anderson were treated with contempt, Mahmood slapped for 28 in two overs. After five overs South Africa was 44 for none. England at that stage had scored five.
The 50 came up in the sixth over and the 100 in the 11th as Smith and A.B. De Villiers hit the ball to all corners of the Kensington Oval. Smith's 50 came up in only 34 balls and De Villiers was dismissed for 42, edging to wicketkeeper Nixon from Flintoff's bowling.
At 85 for one, Jacques Kallis came to the crease, but was content to sit back and watch his captain pound the bowlers. Smith finished on 89 not out, ending the match with a four to give South Africa one of its most emphatic and satisfying victories for many years.
Smith said the victory had been an emotional one.
"There's always motivation but our motivation is that we know what kind of cricket we can play. We just wanted to play it," he said. "We haven't really achieved that so far in this tournament and I think we achieved it today.
"We were superbly disciplined with the ball, we just kept coming, our fielding was terrific and to bowl them out for 154 was a great effort. And then we just finished it off with the bat."
