England’s Champions Trophy campaign ended in disaster with yet another crushing defeat, this time at the hands of South Africa. Jos Buttler’s tenure as England’s white-ball captain concluded on a sour note as his team collapsed yet again with the bat, managing only 179 runs in their final group-stage match at the National Stadium in Karachi. South Africa, despite missing key players like Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram, made light work of the chase, winning by seven wickets with 20.5 overs to spare. Heinrich Klaasen and Rassie van der Dussen played match-winning knocks to steer the Proteas home.
Klaasen, making his return from an elbow injury, played a composed knock of 64 off 56 balls, ensuring there were no hiccups in the chase. Meanwhile, van der Dussen remained unbeaten on 72, guiding South Africa past the finish line in just 29.1 overs. England’s bowling effort was spirited in the initial phase, particularly in the powerplay, where Jofra Archer dismissed Ryan Rickleton and Tristan Stubbs early. However, a lack of runs on the board left them with no margin for error. Once Klaasen and van der Dussen settled in, they dismantled England’s attack with ease.
England’s biggest downfall was once again their batting. Despite having a chance to salvage some pride, they collapsed in the first innings due to reckless shot selection. Michael Atherton, speaking to Ian Ward on Sky Sports, lambasted England’s approach, criticizing their poor shot-making and lack of discipline at the crease. He pointed out that most of England’s batters had come into the tournament out of form and had failed to put together meaningful partnerships throughout the campaign.
This was evident once more on Saturday, with Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone—both considered future captaincy contenders—playing rash shots and gifting their wickets to Keshav Maharaj, despite having 30 overs left to build an innings. Their dismissals exposed England’s fragile lower middle order, leading to a total collapse. Joe Root was the only batter to offer some resistance, scoring 37 off 44 balls, but his efforts were in vain as England crumbled in just 38.2 overs.
South Africa’s bowlers dominated proceedings, with Marco Jansen dismantling England’s top order by picking up three wickets early on. Maharaj controlled the middle overs with an economical spell of 10-1-35-2, while Wiaan Mulder wrapped up the tail, also finishing with three wickets.
With this emphatic victory, South Africa secured the top spot in Group B and sealed their place in the semi-finals with an impressive Net Run Rate of +2.395. They will face the loser of Sunday’s high-stakes clash between India and New Zealand. However, the team has injury concerns to worry about ahead of the knockout stage. While Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi missed the game due to illness, Markram suffered a hamstring injury and had to leave the field midway through the bowling innings.
The South African squad will fly to Dubai on Sunday, where they will remain until the conclusion of the India vs. New Zealand game, which will determine their semi-final opponent.
