Undercooked England feel S African heat

Thrashed in a tour match, England have been given a reminder ? a "kick up the arse", Michael Vaughan called it.

The harsh High Veldt sun was only partly to blame when England left Potchefstroom on Tuesday with beetroot faces.

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Thrashed by South Africa A in 2-1/2 days, Michael Vaughan's side had been given the sharpest of reminders — a "kick up the arse", the captain called it — that they are not yet quite as good a side as they might wish to believe.

England's Test tour of South Africa, which begins in earnest in Port Elizabeth on Friday, was intended to act as a rubber stamp to England's new cricketing status in the run-up to next year's Ashes.

Vaughan's men have won their last seven Tests, as well as 10 out of 11, on their way to becoming the world's second-ranked side. Victory in South Africa would be the ideal preparation for taking on Australia's world champions.

Monday's seven-wicket defeat, however, did little to inspire confidence.

"Maybe there was a little bit of complacency," Vaughan said.