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England exit Champions Trophy after humiliating SA defeat

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South Africa secured their place in the Champions Trophy semi-finals with a commanding seven-wicket victory over England in Karachi, ending the English side’s campaign without a single win.

England’s struggles continued as they collapsed to 179 all out in 38.2 overs, the lowest team total of the tournament, before South Africa chased down the target with 125 balls to spare.

Jos Buttler, playing his final match as England’s white-ball captain, admitted his side’s performance fell well short of expectations.

“A really disappointing performance. We were so far short of the mark there today. It was a decent surface—pretty slow and a bit two-paced—but we’re not going on and making those big, telling contributions which has been a story of this side for some time now with the bat,” Buttler said.

After winning the toss, England’s innings never gained momentum, priced at $2 underdogs with the top cricket bookmakers.

Joe Root top-scored with 37 before being bowled by Wiaan Mulder (3-25), while Buttler managed a boundary-less 21 off 43 balls.

Despite a promising 62-run stand between Root and Harry Brook (19), the middle order collapsed under pressure.

Ben Duckett (24) and Jofra Archer (25) showed brief resistance, but Marco Jansen (3-39) and left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj (2-35) ensured South Africa remained in control.

Chasing 180, South Africa lost Tristan Stubbs for a duck, bowled by Archer, before Ryan Rickelton (27) also fell to the speedster.

However, Rassie van der Dussen (72 not out) and Heinrich Klaasen (64) guided their team home with a dominant 127-run stand.

Van der Dussen remained unbeaten, anchoring the innings with an 87-ball knock that included three sixes, while Klaasen’s 56-ball 64 featured 11 boundaries.

Stand-in captain Aiden Markram, who left the field with a hamstring injury, praised his team’s adaptability.

“The wicket was quite slow, slower than we expected. The boys adapted really well and kept trying to hold a length for as long as they could. We took wickets throughout,” he said.

With South Africa’s win, Afghanistan is officially eliminated, while England must now begin the search for a new white-ball captain following Buttler’s resignation.

Coach Brendon McCullum hinted at potential leadership changes, saying, “If it is the same person [for ODIs and T20s], great. If it’s two, that’s great too. We’ve got to put plans in place for the demands of white-ball cricket and make sure our team walks out there a lot more confident than we are at the moment.”

South Africa now awaits the outcome of the India vs. New Zealand clash, which will determine whether they play their semi-final in Dubai or return to Lahore.

For England, this tournament marks one of their worst performances in recent history, exiting without a single win and leaving them with major questions to answer ahead of future white-ball campaigns.

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Topics: Cricket, England, ICC Champions Trophy, South Africa

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