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