South Africa wrapped up a 3-0 series win over Zimbabwe in the most comprehensive fashion, recording their biggest ever one-day victory as they beat the tourists by 272 runs in Benoni.

There was a certain inevitability about it all. South Africa had applied such unrelenting pressure throughout the series, their intensity building up with each match, and it all proved too much for their visitors to bear as their spirits were finally broken.

The Zimbabweans had put up a decent fight in several of the previous matches, showing how much they've improved with the bat in particular over a year of development. But on Friday night as the Proteas reached a new peak with both bat and ball, Zimbabwe reverted to their former selves.

A ruthless partnership between AB de Villiers and JP Duminy was the main poison, the duo putting on 219 off 190 deliveries in a massive total of 399 for six.

Zimbabwe were never likely to get close, particularly after taking such a thrashing in the field, and were rolled over for just 127 in 29 overs.

In most respects it was the perfect game for South Africa before they jet off to the United Arab Emirates for next week's limited overs series against Pakistan. Having started the series looking fairly rusty, they ended it looking finely tuned, even when one took the ordinary opposition into consideration.

Duminy (129) and de Villiers (109) both struck hundreds at better than a run a ball, hitting nine sixes between them, while Albie Morkel, such a crucial man for South Africa for next year's World Cup, looked sharp with both bat and ball.

A 21-ball 37 from the left-hander backed up that crushing partnership, before he opened the bowling and dismissed Hamilton Masakadza and Chamu Chibhabha in successive overs.

Graeme Smith (26 from 19 balls) and Hashim Amla (24 from 18) had given the Proteas innings early impetus after they'd won the toss, but Smith again failed to convert a start into a big score when he came down the pitch to Prosper Utseya and was deceived in the flight, with Tatenda Taibu completing the stumping.

The skipper's inability to crack a big score will be no more than a minor worry heading into the Pakistan series though, especially with the middle order all looking in decent nick. David Miller (33 not out from 19 balls) and Colin Ingram (20 from 8) finished the innings well after Duminy and de Villiers had both been caught in the deep.

Zimbabwe's frontline seamers Shingirai Masakadza (two for 95 from 10 overs) and Ian Nicolson (one for 74 from seven) took some heavy tap once again, but the Proteas quicks had no such problems.

Lonwabo Tsotsobe immediately hit the right lengths and caused problems with his angle across the right-handers, and he removed the dangerman Brendan Taylor in his first over. Taylor attempted to upper cut a short ball over third man - as he did so effectively throughout the tour - only to fall slightly short and be caught on the rope by Rusty Theron.

With Morkel going on to pick up two quick wickets soon after, the Zimbabwe innings began to fall away quickly. Taibu (28) cut and pulled to good effect when Wayne Parnell made an errant start to his first spell, but the wicketkeeper-batsman misread the flight and turn of Johan Botha's first delivery and was bowled through the gate.

Craig Ervine (24) was bowled off the last ball of Botha's first over to leave Zimbabwe on 80 for five, and only Prosper Utseya (24 not out), who had also fought a lone furrow with the ball, put up any sort of resistance thereafter.

Shot of the Day
Prosper Utseya was the only bowler to send down more than one over and go for less than a run a ball. He proved much harder to get away than the others, and AB de Villiers was forced to work hard for his boundary in the 34th over. He came down the pitch, but Utseya saw him coming and dropped it in short. Unperturbed, de Villiers went through the line to hit over long-on for six.

Delivery of the Day
Tatenda Taibu had looked good on his way to 28, but the introduction of Johan Botha brought his immediate downfall. Botha was right on the money from the first ball, flighting one up to Taibu and inducing a flick shot which was beaten by the turn.

Defining Moment of the Match
Zimbabwe were never going to chase down 400, but had Brendan Taylor managed to stick around then they would at least have produced something respectable. His early departure offset a string of wickets, and the tourists never recovered.

Tristan Holme