Jacob Bethell and Joe Root starred with hundreds while others chipped in as England came out all guns blazing to thrash South Africa by 342 runs the biggest margin of victory in ODI cricket. England looked up for it through Jacob Bethell and Root and others chipping in to get to a massive 414/5 in 50 overs. Jacob Bethell made 110 off 82 balls while Root made 100 off 96 balls. Jamie Smith at the top and Jos Buttler with the finish of 62 made sure that England made over 400 runs.
In reply, South Africa faltered badly. Jofra Archer ran through them and so did Adil Rashid and Brydon Carse as South Africa were skittled out for 72 in 20,5 overs. Jofra Archer picked up 4 wickets while Adil Rashid picked up 3 wickets while Brydon Carse picked up 2 wickets as Temba Bavuma who was injured with calf strain did not come out to bat. England with a massive win ahead of T20Is coming next week.
Jacob Bethell & Joe Root tons power England to 414/5
Put into bat first, Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett walked out to bat for England while Nandre Burger had ball in hand for South Africa. Burger bowled a decent first over. Codi Yusuf on debut got the ball from the other end and bowled a decent over as well. Duckett broke the shackles by hitting a boundary off Burger. Jamie Smith got into the act as he hit Burger for consecutive boundaries as England got a move on now.
Duckett took the attack to Yusuf by hitting a boundary past backward point. Duckett once again cut through the point region for a boundary. Smith then hit Burger for a boundary past covers. Smith then hit Yusuf past square leg for a boundary. Corbin Bosch was introduced into the attack next. Duckett hit Bosch for a boundary through the backward point region. Two balls later Duckett once again hit Bosch through mid-on for a boundary. Smith once again hit a boundary past mid-on as the 50 came up for England in the 8th over.
Duckett was looking good as he hit Yusuf for a boundary through backward point region. Bosch got the breakthrough for his side getting rid of Duckett for 31 off 33 balls with 6 fours to his name. He bowled a hard length outside off-stump with extra bounce off the surface with an away angle. Duckett looked to pull and got a top edge that ballooned to the right of short midwicket where Aiden Markram took the catch. Joe Root came out to bat next and got off the mark with a triple.
Wiaan Mulder came into the attack and gifted a ball on the pads, Root flicked it away through fine leg region for a boundary. After the end of the first powerplay of 10 overs, England were 67/1. Then Jamie Smith was put down by Matthew Breetzke at extra covers off Corbin Bosch. Smith was looking to make South Africa pay as he hit Mulder for a boundary through deep backward square leg.
Smith then took on Bosch and deposited him for a maximum and a boundary in the 13th over. Mulder continued as Smith managed to get another boundary to bring up the 100 for England in 13.4 overs. Soon, Jamie Smith reached his fifty off 38 balls with a brace to his name. Keshav Maharaj finally came into the attack as Smith took him on and deposited him for a boundary as well. Mulder bowled a decent over as England were 116/1 in 16 overs when players took the Drinks Break.
Maharaj started after the break and removed Smith to break the partnership as the batter fell for 62 off 48 balls with 9 fours and a maximum to his name. He bowled a length delivery outside off-stump, Smith ran down the pitch and looked to go big but he mistimed it completely off the leading edge to long-on where Corbin Bosch came in running from the fence to take the catch. Jacob Bethell came out to bat next and got off the mark.
Jacob Bethell continued from where he left off at the other day as he hit a boundary through fine leg and deep square leg. He then took on Maharaj and deposited him down the ground for the maximum. Burger bowled a decent over as England reached 139/2 in 20 overs. Jacob Bethell punched it through cover point for a boundary. He later hit Burger for a boundary in front of square. Joe Root was happy taking singles as Jacob Bethell swept Maharaj over backward point for a boundary. The 50-run stand came up between the two as Jacob Bethell hit Yusuf too for a boundary through third man.
Bosch bowled a decent over as England reached 179/2 in 25 overs at the halfway stage of the innings. Yusuf bowled a decent over. Root finally broke the shackles as he hit Bosch for a boundary through fine leg. Jacob Bethell was next given a life as Burger dropped him at mid-on and this proved to be costly. Dewald Brevis came into the attack next and bowled a tidy first over. Mulder bowled a decent over as England reached 200 in 30 overs for the loss of 2 wickets.
Jacob Bethell soon got to his half-century off 48 balls. Bethell soon took on Brevis and deposited him straight over the bowler’s head for the maximum. Soon, Joe Root managed to get to his half-century off 56 balls as he got to his 44th ODI fifty. Root then hit Mulder for a boundary over short third man as England reached 218/2 in 32 overs when Drinks was taken by the players.
Brevis bowled a quite over after the break. Yusuf returned and Bethell climbed onto him by hitting him for consecutive boundaries to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Root took the attack to Brevis by hitting him for a boundary. Jacob Bethell took the aerial route and deposited over long-on for the maximum. The 250 came up for England in 35.5 overs as Jacob Bethell managed to get a boundary away past mid-off. South Africa wasted a review against Bethell off Bosch bowling.
Jacob Bethell next took on Burger and deposited him through extra covers for a boundary. Root pulled Bosch through midwicket for a boundary. Jacob Bethell too hit Bosch for a boundary through fine leg region. Soon, Jacob Bethell got to his first ODI ton off 76 balls and raised the bat to the gallery. Jacob Bethell was in no mood to slow down as he hit Burger for consecutive boundaries as England reached 299/2 in 40 overs with 10 overs left in the innings.
Keshav Maharaj returned and removed Bethell for 110 off 82 balls with 13 fours and 3 sixes to his name. Length delivery from Maharaj sliding across off-stump, Bethell looked to come down the track and lace it through covers but he missed it. Ryan Rickelton collected the ball and whipped off the bails. Captain Harry Brook came out to bat next and got off the mark with a brace as the 300 came up in 40.3 overs. Soon, Brook got himself run out for 3 off 2 balls by trying to take a second run and got himself run out. Jos Buttler came out to bat next.
Root managed to hit a boundary through a reverse scoop to short third fielder. Buttler got into the act as he hit Mulder for consecutive boundaries off Mulder. Maharaj bowled a decent over. Yusuf returned as Buttler managed to hit him for a boundary through fine leg. Buttler then took on Maharaj and hit him for a boundary and the maximum as England reached 354/4 in 45 overs as England looked good to get past 400.
Soon, Joe Root got to his 19th ODI hundred and his 10th in English soil. Bosch then got rid of Root for 100 off 96 balls with 6 fours to his name. Bosch bowled a low full toss on the leg stump, Root backed away and carved it to backward point where Maphaka dived to his right and plucked out a splendid catch. Will Jacks came out to bat at 3 and got off the mark straightaway.
Jacks got into the zone hitting Burger for a boundary and then a maximum to get close to 400. Buttler hit a boundary off Bosch and then got a brace as Buttler got to his 29th ODI fifty in 27 balls. Jacks then hit Burger for a boundary and brought up the 400 for England in 49.1 overs. Buttler then hit Burger for 3 boundaries in 4 balls as England finished with 414/5 in 50 overs. Buttler’s innings was laced with 8 fours and a maximum while Jacks’ innings was laced with 2 fours and a maximum. 27 extras given by the fielding side.
Corbin Bosch picked up 2/79 in 10 overs while Keshav Maharaj picked up 2/61 in 8 overs. There was a run out in the innings. The rest of the bowlers went wicketless and went for plenty of runs as well. It meant South Africa needed a mammoth 415 for the win and a possible 3-0 whitewash of England.
Jofra Archer & Adil Rashid skittles South Africa out for 72
Chasing 415 for the win, Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton came out to bat for South Africa while Jofra Archer had ball in hand for England. Archer made the perfect start as he dismissed Markram for a silver duck. He bowled a back of a length delivery wide outside the off-stump, Markram slashed and got the outside edge to the keeper and Buttler did the rest. Wiaan Mulder came out to bat at 3. Brydon Carse came onto bowl next and got rid of Mulder for a duck.
Carse bowled a back of a length around the fifth stump line, Mulder weighed back for the pull shot and gets the top edge to Harry Brook at cover point region. Matthew Breetzke came out to bat next and got off the mark with a boundary. Archer got another dismissing Rickelton for 1 off 5 balls. He too bowled a back of a length at the corridor of uncertainty and Rickelton went for the push and got the outside edge to the keeper as Buttler dived to his left to take the catch. Tristan Stubbs came out to bat next.
Carse bowled a maiden over. Archer then dismissed Breetzke for 4 off 10 balls with a boundary to his name. Short of a length down the leg stump, Matthew looked to fend across the line with a slight leap and in the process removed his eyeball for the moment and got hit on the gloves. The ball ballooned and went to Buttler who took an easy catch. Dewald Brevis came out to bat next. Carse bowled another decent over. Archer too was breathing fire.
Stubbs managed to get a rare boundary for South Africa. Archer though struck again as he removed Stubbs for 10 off 22 balls with a boundary to his name. Back of a length around the fourth stump line, Stubbs looked to play at it and got the outside edge to Jacks at the slip cordon. Corbin Bosch came out to bat next. Brevis launched Carse for a maximum over deep point but Carse hit back getting rid of Brevis for 6 off 12 balls with a six to his name.
A shade short of a length outside off-stump, Brevis looked to play at it and got the outside edge to the slip cordon. Jamie Overton at third slip made no error in judgement and took it easily. Keshav Maharaj came out to bat next and after 10 overs, South Africa were reeling in the chase at 24/6. Archer continued as Bosch managed to get a rare boundary away through point region. Maharaj got into the act launching Carse for a boundary and maximum off consecutive balls. Archer bowled another tight over.
Jamie Overton came into the attack next. Maharaj managed to get a boundary away over the slips. Adil Rashid was introduced after the Drinks Break and he got rid of Maharaj for 17 off 17 balls with 2 fours and a maximum to his name. Rashid tossed it up leg break outside the leg stump line, Maharaj ran down the track and looked to slog it over midwicket and got an outside edge. Joe Root took the catch at slips. Codi Yusuf came out to bat next. Overton bowled another tidy over.
Yusuf managed to hit a boundary to Rashid but a few balls later Rashid got rid of Yusuf for 5 off 11 balls with a boundary to his name. Full googly on the middle stump, Yusuf came forward to defend and the ball spun past the inside edge to strike the poles. Nandre Burger walked out to bat next. Bosch managed to get a boundary off Archer. Bosch survived a DRS against Archer as the fielding team wasted a review.
Bosch hit Rashid for another boundary through midwicket. Archer bowled a tidy 20th over as South Africa were 72/8 at this stage. Bosch was dropped at short midwicket but a ball later Rashid dismissed Bosch for 20 off 32 balls with 3 fours to his name. He tossed it up full on the stumps, Bosch opted for the reverse sweep and he miscued it to backward point where Jamie Overton jumped high and took the catch. Temba Bavuma did not bat due to calf strain and the match ended here at 72 all out in 20.5 overs. Burger remained unbeaten on 2 while 7 extras were given by the fielding side.
Jofra Archer was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4/18 in 9 overs. Adil Rashid chipped in with 3/13 in 3.5 overs while Bryon Carse finished with 2/33 in 6 overs. Jamie Overton bowled only 2 overs for 8 runs. So, England won by a whopping 342 runs. Jofra Archer won the Player of the Match Award while Keshav Maharaj was awarded the Player of the Series.
What Lies Ahead
The ODI series is done and dusted with South Africa winning it 2-1. Next-up is the T20I series starting on 10th September 2025. The first of those matches takes place at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff at 11 PM IST. South Africa will be led by Aiden Markram while Harry Brook will continue to lead England.
Let’s see how things pan out in the T20Is as it will be exciting as two strong teams collide against each other and anything can happen here.
Also Read: ENG vs SA: Jacob Bethell & Joe Root Pummell Clueless Proteas