Johannesburg — AFTER a less than convincing win on Sunday, the Proteas produced a much more clinical bowling performance in the second one-day international against Zimbabwe - and it came just in time because the next game is against England on Friday.

While Tuesday's performance may have allayed some fears about SA's bowling arsenal, the real test will begin in the first Twenty20 game, where a winning start could set the tone for the summer.

"We want to get off to a good start, even if it's the Twenty20 you can still put pressure on your opponents and take a win into the series. We must get a wave of form going into the one-dayers and ride that into the Tests. So to get a win on Friday would be a good start," said Proteas fast bowler Dale Steyn.

England tasted defeat for the first time against SA's A side in their Twenty20 match in Bloemfontein on Tuesday, but Steyn knows England will be a different proposition altogether when they face the Proteas.

"Our preparations started against Zimbabwe while our practice specifically for the England game started (yesterday) . Whatever you have done before Friday with preparations will mean nothing when you walk out into a packed bullring.

"I think that is where the momentum is going to start for us. Warm-up games for England and two one-day internationals against Zimbabwe are not going to matter at all. Whoever wins the game on Friday will go into the next game with that wave of form."

Although Steyn did not play in the second one-dayer against Zimbabwe, he is raring to go and his preparations are going well. " I have just hit that 150km/h mark and I haven't done that in a while. I've been sitting back and I've played some domestic cricket, which is more relaxed. To have five people at a SuperSport game and nobody abusing you is different to playing a Test match where there's a couple of thousand.

"Our batters have been batting well, everybody has had a good run out with the bat and the ball, so the preparation has been good."