England signed off their one-day international series against South Africa with a record-breaking performance, inflicting a crushing 342-run defeat in the third ODI on Friday. Although the result could not prevent the tourists from claiming the series 2-1, it ensured England ended on a high after two disappointing outings.
England’s margin of victory was the largest ever in men’s ODIs, surpassing the previous record of 317 runs set by India against Sri Lanka in 2023.
England Pile on 414
Asked to bat first, England’s batting unit produced a commanding display. Jacob Bethell, just 21, struck a maiden international century, scoring 110 off 82 balls and becoming the second-youngest Englishman to reach the milestone. He was well supported by Joe Root, who compiled a fluent 100 from 96 balls, his 19th ODI hundred.
Jamie Smith (62) and Ben Duckett (31) gave the hosts a brisk start, before Jos Buttler added late acceleration with an unbeaten 62 off 32 balls, lifting the total to 414 for five. The 182-run partnership between Root and Bethell was the highlight of the innings.
Proteas Collapse to 72 All Out
South Africa’s reply never got going. With captain Temba Bavuma unable to bat due to a calf injury sustained while fielding, the visitors folded meekly in 20.5 overs for 72, their joint-lowest ODI total against England.
Jofra Archer led the way with a fiery spell of 4 for 18, while Adil Rashid (3 for 13) and Brydon Carse (2 for 33) applied relentless pressure. South Africa slumped to 24 for six inside the Powerplay, with only Corbin Bosch (18) and Keshav Maharaj (15) offering brief resistance.
Ultimate performance, awesome with the bat and the bowling speaks for itself. Bethell is good against spin, Rooty is phenomenal, and Jos can take teams apart. Jof was bowling rockets — a frightening attack. We’re a team that wants to keep moving forward.
South Africa captain Bavuma admitted his side were below par: “A poor showing for us, things went terribly wrong. Fielding intensity was low, we dropped chances, and 20-odd wides is unacceptable. A display like that doesn’t do us justice.”
What’s Next
The teams will now switch focus to the three-match T20I series, which begins on September 10.
Brief Scores: England 414/5 in 50 overs (Jacob Bethell 110, Joe Root 100, Jos Buttler 62*, Jamie Smith 62) beat South Africa 72 all out in 20.5 overs (Jofra Archer 4-18, Adil Rashid 3-13, Brydon Carse 2-33) by 342 runs.
