A supposed dead rubber with no impact on England’s future in the Champions Trophy, this match saw the English batters looking down and out from the start. South Africa, on the other hand, brought their A-game — not just with the ball but also with their phenomenal fielding, pulling off some stunning catches — helping them cruise to a comprehensive 7-wicket victory with more than 20 overs to spare.
The result officially eliminates Afghanistan from the tournament; they needed England to beat South Africa by a margin of at least 207 runs to stay in contention. South Africa finished on top of the Group B table, whilst Australia came second. The winners of India against New Zealand will decide the semifinal line-up.
England came into this game on the back of a horrid run. After a whitewash against India in ODIs, they failed to make a mark against a depleted Australian side and debutants Afghanistan in the tournament. Meanwhile, South Africa had their game against Australia washed out but secured a win against Afghanistan.
With the surface in Karachi favouring batters till now, England opted for first strike, anticipating that spinners might come into play in the second innings due to the number of cracks on the pitch. However, they continued with their strategy of selecting just one full-time spinner alongside a couple of part-timers. This pitch had previously seen teams score over 300 in the first innings, while chasing sides struggled.
Nevertheless, England — a team that had amassed over 600 runs in the tournament so far — failed to live up to that reputation, as poor timing and shot selection left them reeling at 37/3 by the middle of the seventh over. Left-arm pacer Marco Jansen triggered this early collapse, using his speed variations and short-pitched deliveries to unsettle the batters.
South Africa seemed poised to inflict further damage when Joe Root slashed at a short-pitched ball from Kagiso Rabada toward gully, only for Wiaan Mulder — diving to his left — to spill the chance. Root and Harry Brook then attempted to stabilize the innings, preventing further embarrassment for the 2019 world champions. The pair stitched together a 62-run partnership for the fourth wicket, scoring at almost a run-a-ball.
However, South Africa’s captain Aiden Markram made a well-timed bowling change, introducing Keshav Maharaj into the attack — a move that immediately troubled England. Root attempted to reverse-sweep Maharaj’s very first delivery, nearly gifting a catch to Rabada at backward point. The left-arm spinner didn’t let the pressure ease, and on the very next ball, Brook tried to take him on, only to miscue a lofted shot toward long-on, where a sliding Jansen took an impressive catch. Ironically, just an over later, the in-form Root was bowled by a scrambled seam good-length delivery from Mulder.
From there, England crumbled to 129/7 before outgoing captain Jos Buttler and pacer Jofra Archer attempted to rebuild. The duo dragged England’s score to 171/7 before Archer pulled a back-of-length delivery from Mulder straight into the hands of Jansen at mid-wicket. Buttler, in his final innings as England’s white-ball captain, didn’t last much longer either, chipping a catch to Maharaj at mid-off on a Lungi Ngidi delivery. England were eventually bundled out for a modest 179 in 38.2 overs. It was the lowest total in this year’s Champions Trophy.
The South African batters, on the other hand, ensured that England’s bowlers never got going the way their counterparts did. Despite losing two wickets within the first powerplay, Rassie van der Dussen and Heinrich Klaasen played to their strengths, denying England any chance of a comeback. More than a flurry of boundaries, their 127-run partnership was built on strike rotation and a disciplined approach, avoiding unnecessary risks and pressure.
Initially, Van der Dussen held fort at one end while Klaasen took on the aggressor’s role. He brought up his fifty off just 41 balls, including nine fours — his fifth fifty-plus score in ODIs on the trot. The power-hitter eventually finished with a score of 64 before slicing a catch to backward point. Van der Dussen, too, shifted gears to ensure South Africa reached the target with 125 balls to spare. He remained unbeaten on 72, with six fours and three sixes.
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