Introduction

South Africa entered the match knowing that they needed a win to keep their hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals alive. And they delivered in spectacular fashion.

Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen laid the foundation with half-centuries, before Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen exploded in the final 10 overs to propel South Africa to a mammoth 399/7.

Ultimately, England was bowled out for just 170 in 22 overs after their pursuit never really got going. Also, it was their heaviest defeat in ODI history, and a humiliating end to their World Cup title defense.

South Africa’s batting masterclass

Furthermore, One of the best batting displays in a World Cup game in recent memory came from South Africa. So, they jumped into the game with aggression and never let England acquire a foothold.

Indeed, Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen put on a 100-run partnership for the second wicket, and laid the foundation for a big score.

Heinrich Klaasen then took over, smashing a 67-ball 109 to propel South Africa past 350. But, the 42-ball 75 that Marco Jansen contributed helped him out a lot.

England’s batting collapse

In addition, England’s chase of 400 was never really on track. They lost early wickets and were always behind the run rate.

Jos Buttler only scored 14 runs after Joe Root was out for two runs. Liam Livingstone was the only England batsman to offer any real resistance, scoring 34 runs. It was their heaviest defeat in ODI history, and a humiliating end to their World Cup title defense.

Conclusion

South Africa’s victory was a complete and utter thrashing of the defending champions. They were dominant in all areas of the game, and deserved their victory.

England, on the other hand, were simply outplayed. They had no answers to South Africa’s bowling attack, and their batting performance was woeful.

This defeat is a major setback for England’s World Cup hopes. They now need to win their remaining matches to have any chance of reaching the semi-finals.