The 11th match of the Champions Trophy 2025 witnessed a dominant bowling display from South Africa, spearheaded by Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj and Wiaan Mulder as they dismantled England's batting lineup.
While Jansen got rid of the England top-order, Maharaj broke the partnership of Harry Brook and Joe Root when England looked set for a comeback. Mulder too bagged crucial scalp in the form of Root as England got bundled at 179 runs, the lowest total in the ongoing Champions Trophy as of now.
Marco Jansen Inflicts Early Damage
England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and elected to bat, a decision that backfired. Jansen's opening spell was nothing short of devastating, sending shockwaves through England's top order.
The early dismissals of Phil Salt, Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett set the tone for a day of struggle as Jansen exploited the conditions to perfection.
England’s Middle-Order Crumbles
Root and Brook stitched a 62-run stand for the third wicket. England were eyeing a comeback. However, Maharaj deterred their plans as he dismissed Brook. England could never recover from this. The wickets kept tumbling with South Africa's bowlers maintaining relentless pressure. Root and Livingstone were among the other victims, who perished at the hands of Mulder and Maharaj respectively.
Buttler fought hard for his 21 runs but his innings never picked up the pace. He was left to witness a procession of wickets at the other end and was eventually dismissed by Lungi Ngidi.
England's innings concluded with a disappointing total of 179 runs. Meanwhile, South Africa also confirmed their place in the semis as Afghanistan now cannot beat them on Net Run Rate.
