Ali Martin’s report has landed from Karachi.
As you’d expect, it makes for grim reading and focuses on England. Make no mistake though, they were made to look ordinary by a very polished South African outfit that ticks just about every box. If they Proteas play like this in the knockouts they’ll be a handful. That is if they can avoid doing what they always do in ICC tournaments.
Time for a restart as far as England’s white ball teams are concerned. They’ll need a captain, a new opening pair, a new plan for the middle overs and some new ideas across the squad.
Thanks for keeping me company. Til next time…
Matt Roller from ESPNCricinfo has perhaps stumbled onto the reason for England’s woes:
Baffling to me just how little 50-over cricket England Lions have played since the downgrading of the One-Day Cup: no matches at all since February 2023. Should be a huge opportunity for player development
Viv Marks, speaking on the BBC, thinks England need a 50-over rethink:
There is an issue with personnel. 50-over is a different game to T20 cricket. Most of the sides tend to have their Test openers in the 50-over side.
I’m not sure Salt is the type of player for this kind of cricket. He can be devastating but he looks out of form and does not have the ability to stay at the crease for long periods of time.
Finally, let’s hear from Heinrich Klaasen:
Fantastic! We’ve put a few big games together. Nice to see the bowlers hitting their straps and hitting the bat hard.
I think I’m very blessed with where I am in my game. I understand my game quite well. I don’t face all our seamers in the nets, I just do a couple of drills and face a bit of spin. The moment I’m hitting the ball out the middle of the bat, that’s my piece I go with. As long as my technique is good I’m happy.
Standing dead still, that was about three years I started working on that, not to premeditate. I want to be the best in the world. Now I can play situations well. I can hit the ball on the ground for as long as possible. I know my swing is good.
Now the South African skipper, Aiden Markram, who twanged his hamstring in the field:
I think it’s alright. It feels OK. I should be good to go.
I thought the boys were really good. The wicket was slower than we expected so we had to change our initial plans. The boys adapted. We were able to take wickets throughout the innings and keep momentum.
[Marco Jansen] has been huge for us. He finds different ways of taking wickets. He’s been peaking at the right time and leading the attack with [Kagiso Rabada].
It’s always great to see [Klaasen] out in the middle. For him to walk out after having a niggle in his elbow, it’s like he never left.
We’ll have to see [if they play in Dubai next – all hangs on the India result]. We’ve got a great squad with plenty of options. Wherever it might be, whatever roles the individuals have, we back them.
Now for Jos Buttler in his last ever post-match chat as England captain:
It was a really disappointing performance.
It was a decent surface. Root and Duckett got us in a nice position. We’re just not going on and making those big telling contributions, which has been he story of this side with the bat.
I don’t know to be honest [why so many batters are out of form]. Obviously not getting the results takes away the confidence. Now’s a time to go away and have a change of scene and work hard wherever cricket takes you next. From this point forward there is a huge opportunity for everyone inside the dressing room and outside the dressing room. Do they want to be part of the rebuild of the white ball teams?
There’s no doubt the talent is there. We have all the makings of putting together a really good team. Brendon and the guys at the top will formulate some plans but its down to the individuals who want to put down a mark and get the team back to where it should be.
I had a fantastic time. To be a World Cup winning captain [as he was after winning the 2022 T20 edition] was the best day in my captaincy.
Hopefully I can get back to my best form and contribute to the team as I want to.
Here’s the player of the match, Marco Jansen, who picked up 3-39, and held onto three catches, to help bundle England out for 179:
It’s a good feeling. The boys worked really hard. The pitch suited batting, so really happy.
There was no swing, which I was not that happy about. But happy with my performance. I feel I used all my options well.
[On the stunner that dismissed Brook in the deep, where he sprinted 28 metres] Only 28?! I was just trying to get as close to the ball as I could.
I just want to go sleep now.
He’s earned a rest but will be travelling to Dubai just in case India loses to New Zealand and finish second in their group.
South Africa win by 7 wickets!
David Miller launches Livingstone for six to secure a crushing victory.
An all-round show from the Saffas who march into the semis. That is a thumping win. Jos Buttler signs off as England captain with a sorry show.
South Africa 181-3 (van der Dussen 72, Miller 7)
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29th over: South Africa 175-3 (van der Dussen 72, Miller 1) Klaasen falls with only six needed. Rashid gets a bonus wicket. Miller, who has had his pads on for some time, gets a single to get off the mark.
WICKET! Klaasen c Mahmood b Rashid 64 (South Africa 174-3)
Stumbled at the final hurdle! Rashid gives it air and Klaasen reckons he can end this with one swing of his bat. But he loses his shape just at the wrong moment and finds a thick outside edge that floats to the man at short third.
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28th over: South Africa 174-2 (van der Dussen 72, Klaasen 64) Just six needed now. Van der Dussen spanks a short ball for four down the ground, takes two to deep point and the pair get a single each.
27th over: South Africa 166-2 (van der Dussen 65, Klaasen 63) After watching Klaasen take a 20-run lead, van der Dussen has closed the gap in no time. Another six over long-on, this one off Rashid, has him just in front.
26th over: South Africa 159-2 (van der Dussen 58, Klaasen 63) They’re getting a move on now. Van der Dussen gets served a juicy full toss from Livingstone that he spanks for six over cow corner. 21 needed from 24 overs.
25th over: South Africa 151-2 (van der Dussen 51, Klaasen 62) Van der Dussen was starting to show a bit of frustration, perhaps displeased with Klaasen doing all the hitting at the other end. So he gets in on the act and thwacks Rashid for six over wide long-on. Lovely swing of the bat. A pair of singles brings up the 100-run partnership and a pull for four brings up van der Dussen’s 50 and the team’s 150. Utter dominance from the Saffas.
24th over: South Africa 139-2 (van der Dussen 40, Klaasen 61) Livingstone into the attack, because why not. On a couple of group chats his future is in serious doubt. I’m a fan. I know his run-scoring needs work, but he offers so much. I’d personally be backing him. Anyway, his first over is a decent one. Just two singles off it.
23rd over: South Africa 137-2 (van der Dussen 39, Klaasen 60) Archer digs one in short and Klaasen is all over it, pulling it well in front of square to beat the sweeper to the boundary. Then he’s scything a cut shot to the fence at deep point. When he’s in this mood he’s as destructive as anyone in the world. Not a lot of footwork, just wonderful balance and stillness at the crease. A single brings van der Dussen on strike and he clips a four off his hips to fine leg. An expensive set for Jof who looks rather glum.
I assume Tom V d Gucht has the same look on his face. This is what he has to say:
In a strange way, have we been in decline for even longer than we realised? England were at the prime before 2019 and very nearly got dumped out of our own world cup. Maybe our incredible dominance was just a myth and we were little more than flat track bullies and the world just got wise to our swagger and put us back in our place. Now, we’re just looking back at something that wasn’t really ever really there like the cricketing equivalent of the Doobie Brothers Song, What a Fool Believes....
Then again, I’d rather sit here dreaming about what might have been than living in the pain of what isn’t.
22nd over: South Africa 123-2 (van der Dussen 34, Klaasen 51) Rashid changes ends but can’t change England’s fortunes. The Saffas are comfortable showing him respect as they take three controlled singles. 57 needed now. England’s WinViz drops to 0.45%.
21st over: South Africa 120-2 (van der Dussen 32, Klaasen 50) Archer back into the attack. He’s only got three overs in the tank but no sense in keeping him in reserve. Not that he can make a difference. Two perfect back-foot punches from Klaasen find the cover boundary and brings up his half century. This has been a superb knock.
20th over: South Africa 111-2 (van der Dussen 31, Klaasen 42) Klaasen is putting on a show. A short-arm jab cannons off his bat down to the square leg boundary. That was thumped. Overton corrects his line but gets his length wrong and Klaasen lashes another drive for four between cover and mid-off.
John Starbuck has rightly taken issue with England’s sloppiness with the ball. They’ve bowled 10 wides (though to be fair they’ve tightened up since the last wide five overs ago).
But they’re miserly compared to the world record. Back in 1989 Pakistan bowled a whopping 37 wides against the West Indies in a score of 258-7.
19th over: South Africa 102-2 (van der Dussen 30, Klaasen 34) They’re in total control. Five singles off the over. According to WinViz, England still have a 1.34% chance of victory. Feels generous to me.
18th over: South Africa 97-2 (van der Dussen 27, Klaasen 32) 50 partnership for these two with a mistimed pull from van der Dussen, but it could have ended this over. Overton was adamant he had got a toe on the ball as it was driven back towards him before it struck the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Van der Dussen was well short and the English players were celebrating. It was reviewed, Ultra-Edge (not Snicko, apologies for any pedants) said ‘nothing’ doing’, and Overton was annoyed.
Now then! Van der Dussen survivew a review for a run-out at the non-striker’s end. Klaasen smoked a drive back down the pitch and Overton was convinced he’d got a boot to it before it clattered the stumps. They reviewed, but snicko said there was no contact.
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17th over: South Africa 95-2 (van der Dussen 26, Klaasen 31) After being milked for three singles, Rashid tosses it up and Klaasen takes the bait. He’s not quite to the pitch but gets enough wood on it to see it land safely over mid-on’s head. They collect two before Klaasen keeeps the strike with a single to long-off.
16th over: South Africa 89-2 (van der Dussen 24, Klaasen 27) The most intersting thing about this game is the sight of a black cat that occasionally wanders on the field. Klaasen backs away as the feline gets in his eyeline, but it doesn’t put him off. Another beauty of a cover drive off Overton hits the rope in a flash. Four singles elsewhere means it’s eight off the over, dwarfing the required rate of 2.67.
15th over: South Africa 81-2 (van der Dussen 22, Klaasen 21) Adil Rashid into the attack and he starts with a wide. That’s the 10th of the innings. Not ideal when you’re defending a target under 200. But he’s a class operator and finds his radar soon enough. A quicker, flatter one beats Klaasen’s cut as it shoots low. Two singles elsewhere.
14th over: South Africa 78-2 (van der Dussen 21, Klaasen 20) With a muscular flourish, Klaasen spanks Overton through the covers for four. He then collects four more with a flick to fine leg. England’s bowlers weren’t dealt an easy hand, but they’ve not bowled well enough. Too inconsistent, both sides of the wicket. They’re limping out of this competition.
Self-reflection needed!
That’s how Andrew Benton kicks off his punchy email:
However much cap’n and coach are to blame for the lack of performance, the individual players must look to themselves too. Stupid shots that are played without thinking properly have abounded, and no player who does these should be in the team. Some ‘reflective practice’ followed by a bit of arse kicking might be in order throughout. And no excuses.
Agreed. More than just the two men at the top that need to shoulder the blame.
13th over: South Africa 69-2 (van der Dussen 20, Klaasen 12) Archer continues and delivers his eighth wide in seven overs, another sloppy drag down the leg side. Van der Dussen climbs into a pull but picks out the man in the deep. Klaasen does the same. Van der Dussen keeps the strike as he tickles a slower ball off his pads for one.
12th over: South Africa 65-2 (van der Dussen 18, Klaasen 11) Overton into the attack. He’s hitting a length, bowling hard into the pitch. He’s perhaps a touch too short and Klaasen climbs into a pull shot that screams past midwicket for four. Two more pulls in the over add two singles to the tally.
Interesting chat on comms with Atherton and Pollock lamenting the absence of reverse swing bowling in ODI cricket, a consequence of using two balls, preventing either from ageing enough to start hooping late in the innings.
11th over: South Africa 59-2 (van der Dussen 17, Klaasen 6) Archer remonstrates as he takes issue with another wide call down the leg side. That was tighter, but it was down the leg. That’s his seventh wide in six overs. Otherwise he’s tidy, bowling six dot balls to van der Dussen who is watchful to deliveries that rise sharply.
10th over: South Africa 58-2 (van der Dussen 17, Klaasen 7) The powerplay is done. England had lost three wickets by this stage. The sun is setting in Karachi and on England’s Champions Trophy. Another boundary off that over as Mahmood strays onto van der Dussen’s pads and is tickled fine for four.
There’s a delay as the pitch receives some treatment. I think Mahmood is a little unhappy with where his foot is landing.
Meanwhile Darryl Accone, a Saffa who is “holding thumbs for our homeboys” has this to say:
For OBO consumption, Alex D (12.35) asks why Rob Key isn’t “getting any pressure or criticism”.
“Surely the query ought to be widened to aren’t “Baz” and Bazball a well and truly busted flush? “
Loving the Alice in Wonderland chat, by the way, so keep it coming!
Here’s Peter Salmon:
Given the relentless moralising and boost of the McCullum era, this Alice in Wonderland moment captures most press conferences where we get told how great England is.
“When I use a word,” Baz said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”
Dan Norcross on the BBC’s TMS podcast said that the English public were being “gaslighted” by this team. Wonder if that’s how others feel?
9th over: South Africa 52-2 (van der Dussen 12, Klaasen 5) Klaasen is in at four. This should be fun. His second ball is there to hit and he obliges with a cracking drive through the covers for four. Archer won’t mind. The full length is what brought him success with the wicket of Rickelton after getting cut for four the ball before.
Replays show that kept a little low. I still don’t think the shot was on, or at least I don’t think Rickelton needed to go so hard at it.
WICKET! Rickelton b Archer 27 (South Africa 47-2)
Got em! Beaten for pace. Having been cut for four the previous ball, Archer gets this fuller and Rickelton takes on the drive. A bit of nip off the deck from round the wicket and he’s knocked over his middle stump. This time Archer celebrates.
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8th over: South Africa 43-1 (Rickelton 23, van der Dussen 12) Tidy from Mahmood without being threatening. He’s hitting a good length and angling into the stumps of the right hander. But when he over pitches, van der Dussen can lean into a tasty drive and collect four down the ground. They’re going at more than five an over. They only need 3.2 an over. Fair to say the Proteas are well on top here.
7th over: South Africa 38-1 (Rickelton 22, van der Dussen 8) A couple of singles and a wide – again down the leg side – from that over. Archer with a few cutters is looking for something, but the batters look in complete control.
6th over: South Africa 35-1 (Rickelton 21, van der Dussen 7) Straight after dropping the return catch, Mahmood drags one down and Rickelton pounces on it, carving it away for four past point with a horizontal bat. Again he follows the boundary with a single. Van der Dussen keeps the strike with an outside edge that trickles down to deep third. Good ball that from Mahmood. Like Archer he seems more comfortable bowling to the right hander.
Mahmood drops Rickelton! He’s got one to pop off a full length and Rickelton shoots it back at pace. Sharp chance but a chance nonetheless. Hit his shoulder on his follow through.
John Starbuck has suggested the perfect role for my son in his play:
“One of the plum parts in Alice in Wonderland is a huge contrast with England’s fortunes: the Dodo gets to say ‘Everyone has won and all shall have prizes’.”
I was hoping for the Chesire Cat to be honest, but maybe this is the one.
5th over: South Africa 29-1 (Rickelton 16, van der Dussen 6) Rickelton is in great touch here. Neat tuck off his pads has the ball racing away to deep backward square for a boundary. Then a smartly taken single wide of mid-on gets him off strike. Classic cricket. Archer looks more threatening to the right hander and he gets one to straighten off the seam to square up van der Dussen.
4th over: South Africa 24-1 (Rickelton 11, van der Dussen 6) Lovely shot from Rickelton as he slaps Mahmood off the back foot through the covers for four. He’s some player this lefty. A score of 259 in his last Test and a ton in his last ODI (on this ground against Afghanistan) is a testament to his quality. He gets off strike with a swift single that forced van der Dussen to get through the gears. A direct hit at the striker’s end might have made things interesting. Van der Dussen tucks a couple down the leg side to keep the score ticking.
“So, SA get to play the loser of NZ-India, is that right?”
That’s right, Alistair Connor, provide the Proteas win this, that is.
“So for my team, with the advantage of playing the last group game, choice of opponent comes into play. I say they should go all out to beat India, and so face the Aussies in their semi, to possibly finesse the distressingly recurrent choking reflex...
“Also, good practice for the final.
“(Hubris? Moi? I’m just trying to change the subject)“
3rd over: South Africa 16-1 (Rickelton 6, van der Dussen 4) Better from Archer who is attacking the stumps. He’s rewarded with a wicket and has the new man, van der Dussen, inside-edging and hopping around the crease. There’s a wide down leg as well, but that’s always a risk when you bowl wicket to wicket at pace. Van der Dussen gets off the mark with a steer outside off stump that flies away past point for four. Good timing.
WICKET! Stubbs b Archer 0 (South Africa 11-1)
Stubbs’ plays on! A duck in his first innings at the top of the order and he only has himself to blame. He looked to steer a straight and lifting delivery down to deep third but got it all wrong. Off the face of the blade and onto his own stumps. Archer with a muted celebration.
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2nd over: South Africa 11-0 (Rickelton 6, Stubbs 0) Saqib Mahmood, who many believe should have been playing from the start of the tournament, opens the other end with his slingy action. He first ball invites a cover drive from Rickelton but the bal squirts off an inside edge and they get two through midwicket. The next ball is popped awkwardly down the ground, but the outfield is like glass so it races to the boundary. Some lift off the deck and that’s a handy start for Mahmood.
1st over: South Africa 5-0 (Rickelton 0, Stubbs 0) Archer, around the wicket to the left-handed Rickelton with a slip and a short-cover in place, starts with four wides down the leg side from six balls. So really he’s only bowled two and conceded five runs – Smith couldn’t gather the last wide and the batters scampered for a single. Not a great start from Archer who kept losing his shape. He tightens up to Stubbs who is watchful for the rest of the over.
Meanwhile, Alex D has some choice words for England’s managing director:
Why isn’t Rob Key getting any pressure or criticism?
He’s taken the best white ball team in the world, and turned them into a bunch of perennial losers now.
He’s taken a poor test team and made them competitive, but it’s criminal what’s happened to this squad in 50 and 20 over formats.
Jofra Archer has his cap off and will take the new ball first tup.
Tristan Stubbs opens the batting for the first time in List A cricket in place of the unwell pair of Tony de Zorzi and Temba Bavuma. Ryan Rickelton will be on strike.
Cheers Tim, at least one Englishman had a belter today!
My four-year-old’s drama teachers are convinced they can put on a semi-coherent production of Alice in Wonderland. Let’s just say I’ve got more faith in England defending this total. But he has fun, which is all that counts.
Can England find any joy in this defence of 179? I wouldn’t bet the farm on it. Their bowling has been worse than their batting this Champions Trophy and if that’s anything to go by we could be outta here in next to no time.
South Africa will have to make these runs without Aiden Markram who tweaked a hammy, but they really should’t need him.
If you’ve got any thoughts you’d like to share drop me a line before you run out of time.
Time for me to hand over. The only thing that went right in that innings was that Buttler and Archer hung around long enough for my colleague Daniel Gallan to make it home from his kids’ drama class. We need to know more about that – were they dipping a toe in one of Shakespeare’s tragedies? Or just having fun?
Anyway, thanks for your company, correspondence and reflections on England’s sad decline. They are white-ball cricket’s answer to Man United.
Either side of a breezy stand between Joe Root and Harry Brook, England were awful. South Africa didn’t have to bowl all that well, but Marco Jansen was incisive early on and outstanding later in the field, Keshav Maharaj was his usual astringent self, and Wiaan Mulder did well with a style of bowling, busy medium, for which Brendon McCullum may have a new-found respect.
The South Africans have lost their stand-in captain, Aiden Markram, to a hamstring injury, but this match is as good as won already. And they fully deserve their place in the semis.
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WICKET! England 179 all out, SA go through
Rashid is caught behind off Mulder for 2, to complete England’s ignominy – and send SA through to the semi-finals, as the only thing that could stop them was if England won today by 207 runs. Some hope.
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37th over: England 175-9 (Rashid 1, Mahmood 2) Adil Rashid and Saqib Mahmood are playing themselves in. May as well do.
“Talent?” says the subject line of an email from Gary Naylor. “It’s always a bit of a dirty word in coaching (because it’s largely independent of their input),” he reckons, “but England are short on talent aren’t they?” Go on …
“In this XI, the only players who look like they have what it takes at this level are Duckett (England debut 2016), Root (2012), Brook (2022), Buttler (2011), Archer (2019) and Rashid (2009). That’s only two talents brought through in nine years, so half a new team needed.
“To some extent, this is the product of loyalty in supporting players going through bad patches, but nobody at Surrey would pick Jamie Overton ahead of Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone is wasting a batting and bowling slot. Radical change is needed, starting with Rehan Ahmed being picked to play not just to watch and two or three ‘Bethells’ being given a chance.”
Agreed about Curran and Livingstone. But they have actually tried plenty of players, from Will Jacks (15 ODIs) to Sam Hain (two) and Dan Mousley (three). The bigger problem, for me, is that they haven’t built a regular XI who all know their roles. And McCullum’s entrance has made things worse because he has changed the bowling strategy – from a varied attack to just Rashid plus high pace which can be very hittable – and spurned some of England’s best one-day players, from Curran to Liam Dawson and Jonny Bairstow.
36th over: England 174-9 (Rashid 1, Mahmood 1) Message to younger readers: this is what England’s one-day team were like until Andrew Strauss decided enough was enough, installed Eoin Morgan as captain, and gave him some proper backing.
Buttler didn’t get that. It’s vital that England don’t make the same mistake with his successor.
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WICKET! Buttler c Maharaj b Ngidi 21 (England 173-9)
On his last outing as captain, Jos Buttler was England’s last hope. He stuck around but couldn’t find his fluency, and now he has chipped a slower ball to mid-off.
35th over: England 171-8 (Buttler 20, Rashid 0) So Jansen, not content with taking three early wickets, now has two fine catches. This one was low to his left, and he dived and grabbed it as if he was Jonty Rhodes.
WICKET! Archer c Jansen b Mulder 25 (England 171-8)
Archer whips Mulder’s medium-pace to midwicket, where Jansen takes another great low catch.
34th over: England 167-7 (Buttler 18, Archer 24) Jansen continues and struggles with his line, bowling two wides and allowing Archer to glance for two, then top-edge over the keeper for four. Archer now has 59 runs in the tournament, which is more than five of the eight batters who come in before him – Salt, Smith, Brook, Livingstone and Overton.
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33rd over: England 159-7 (Buttler 18, Archer 18) This is Maharaj’s last over and Buttler elects to see him out. It’s a maiden, so Maharaj finishes with 10-1-35-2, like a spinner from the 1970s.
32nd over: England 159-7 (Buttler 18, Archer 18) Marco Jansen is back. It feels like several days ago now that he started the rot in this innings with three top-order wickets. He goes for just two singles, but that won’t bother Buttler, who just needs to hang in there. He and Archer have added 30 off 40 balls, although they will still be doing very well if they grabbing respectability from the jaws of embarrassment.
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31st over: England 153-7 (Buttler 14, Archer 16) Archer pulls Rabada for four as Buttler continues to bide his time. All England have to do is double the 30-over score and they’ll have their 300 again.
Here’s Phil Withall, waxing philosophical. “I’m about to put the day (and myself) to bed,” he says. “I’ve been thinking about my lifestyle choices recently. I’ve been cigarette free for two months, I have a smug wristband that offers me motivational insights into my life. I am on a road to a better me, giving up what does me ill.
“On that note, why do I still love cricket? Why do I still support Norwich City (since I was 5) and Tooting and Mitcham United ( a sporting STD I picked up and can’t shake off) when all three bring me disappointment and hurt? Alternatives welcomed, although I fear sporting self-abuse is not something you can easily quit....”
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29th over: England 147-7 (Buttler 12, Archer 13) Maharaj continues and it’s back to two off the over.
An interesting thought from John Starbuck. “Graham O’Reilly is spot on with his football management analogy. Baz’s tenure has already exceeded that of many footie managers with loads of failures. If there is a shake-up, whoever becomes the next one should sound out Stuart Broad for a role: gets on well with people, is highly analytical and has vast experience. He might find a media career is easy enough and committing to a life of more difficulty and travel could be off-putting, but he really ought to be a candidate.”
28th over: England 145-7 (Buttler 12, Archer 11) Things are so bad for England that they can’t even score off a free hit, as Rabada makes up for overstepping by arrowing a yorker into Archer’s toes. But then there are signs of life as Archer plays a pull and an upper cut, both for four.
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27th over: England 132-7 (Buttler 10, Archer 1) Three singles off Maharaj’s over. Among their other troubles, England are all at sea against spin in the subcontinent – a caption shows that they average 18 against it in ODIs. I didn’t catch the time-span of the stat, but you get the drift.
26th over: England 129-7 (Buttler 8, Archer 0) Jofra Archer has done well at the death in this tournament, throwing the bat, but now he has time to make a painstaking 50, which may not be his thing. At the other end, poor old Jos Buttler is in danger of ending his stint as captain with 12 not out.
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WICKET! Overton c Ngidi b Rabada 11 (England 129-7)
Another one bites the dust. And it’s another fine piece of fielding as Overton plays a mis-timed chip over the bowler and Lungi Ngidi runs back, keeps his eye on the ball and dives to grab the catch.
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25th over: England 129-6 (Buttler 8, Overton 11) When Maharaj drops short for once, Overton is alert to it and he cuts for four. That’s only the third time England have found the boundary since the end of the 12th over. And this is a fast outfield. One odd thing about their tournament is that they managed to reach 300 twice with so many batters out of form – Salt, Smith, Brook, Livingstone.
24th over: England 124-6 (Buttler 8, Overton 6) Buttler and Overton are getting them in singles, which is probably wise as there’s just the tail to come.
And here’s Graham O’Reilly. “If this was footie, it would be the manager who was ‘let go’, not the captain. Why did anyone think that Baz was the answer to a completely different question to that which got him the gig with the Test team? Make the 5-day guys play with a bit of one-day pizazz, OK. But the short-game boys didn’t need that – they already knew what they were doing. All he’s brought is incompetent team selection and death-wish batting. There must be multiple choices who could do better.”
22nd over: England 116-6 (Buttler 5, Overton 1) Aiden Markram doesn’t have to do anything at the moment: he can just leave England to self-destruct. But he opts to give Mulder a rest (5-0-20-1, another one in the eye for McCullum’s all-pace policy) and brings back Ngidi, perhaps in order to boost his confidence. His over goes for just two singles.
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21st over: England 114-6 (Buttler 4, Overton 0) So England, who always have a collapse up their sleeve, have produced two of them today, losing three wickets for 28 early on and now three for 15.
On the bright side, Jamie Overton has a 90 in a Test match, and he’s got time to make another one here.
WICKET! Livingstone st Klaasen b Maharaj 9 (England 114-6)
Bad to worse. Liam Livingstone, who had just played a nice lap for four off Maharaj, goes down the track, misses, and is easily stumped.
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20th over: England 103-5 (Buttler 2, Livingstone 1) That’s a big scalp for Mulder and in the space of two overs, England’s revival has fallen apart. Brook finishes his first Champions Trophy with 47 runs, so he, Salt and Smith have managed 101 between them in nine innings. Root, by contrast, finishes with 225, second only to Duckett (227) among the leading scorers in the whole tournament.
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WICKET!! Root b Mulder 37 (England 103-5)
Nooooo! Mulder goes wobble-seam, beats Root’s inside edge, brushes the pad and rattles his stumps. That is just what Buttler didn’t need.
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17th over: England 100-4 (Root 37, Buttler 1) Before the wicket, Root had found the boundary with a reverse sweep, and then nearly succumbed to another one. So it could have been ever worse.
Now here comes Jos Buttler, for the last time as England captain. Walking to the wicket, he seems to have the world on his shoulders, but when he gets there he brightens and exchanges a fist-bump with Root.
WICKET! Brook c Jansen b Maharaj 19 (England 99-4)
The pressure tells! Brook sends a skyer into the legside and, just when the commentators think he’s got away with it, Marco Jansen somehow swoops to take the catch by his ankles.
16th over: England 92-3 (Root 31, Brook 18) Mulder continues and manages to stifle Brook, who ends up playing a pull from outside leg stump. He connects well but can’t evade the man at deep square, and England have now gone four overs without a boundary – a good effort from South Africa in the face of a true pitch, a fast outfield and a gifted pair of batters.
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15th over: England 87-3 (Root 29, Brook 17) Aiden Markram decides it’s time for some spin, so on comes Keshav Maharaj. And yes, this is the third type of bowling seen today that England won’t have been able to practise against in the nets – slow left-arm. Root and Brook are watchful, taking just a single apiece. The second, an off-drive from Root, carries them to the 50 partnership off 48 balls.
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14th over: England 85-3 (Root 28, Brook 16) Rabada does manage to put the plug in this time, conceding only three. And that’s drinks with England counter-attacking breezily after their early collapse. We may yet get a decent contest, but they can’t afford to lose more than one wicket in the middle overs.
13th over: England 82-3 (Root 27, Brook 14) No fireworks in this over from Mulder but there’s a wide, then another, and a couple of leg-byes. A caption informs us that Root now averages 50 in ICC tournaments, the only Englishman to do so (min 20 innings). He is well ahead of the next man, Graham Gooch with 44. He has been a model of consistency, the thing batters yearn for but seldom achieve.
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12th over: England 77-3 (Root 27, Brook 13) Rabada tightens his line and almost bowls an excellent over, but then Root threads an on-drive through the gap at midwicket and it’s so well timed that it goes all the way. Lovely stuff.
11th over: England 70-3 (Root 22, Brook 12) Jansen takes a well-earned breather (5-0-29-3) and Wiaan Mulder comes on with another type of bowling this England side don’t see in the nets – bustling medium. He immediately finds some movement and has an LBW shout against Root, but Markram doesn’t feel it’s worth a review. After a few dots, Root flicks over square leg for six! It’s his second six of the tournament, in 215 balls.
10th over: England 62-3 (Root 14, Brook 12) Brook is playing the McCullum way – when up against it, go even harder. He gives Rabada the charge and plays a gorgeous shot, a cover drive from just outside leg. Then he tries it again, Rabada follows him, and Brook can’t connect. That’s the best and worst of Bazball in a nutshell. But it’s definitely not wimpish.
The Powerplay ends with England rattling along at a run a ball. But not many ODIs are won by teams that have lost three wickets at this stage.
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9th over: England 57-3 (Root 13, Brook 8) Root, facing Jansen, celebrates his escape with a classical straight drive and an exemplary pull, getting on top of the bounce in a way that eluded Salt and Smith.
8th over: England 47-3 (Root 4, Brook 8) If England were to lose Joe Root now, their capitulation would be complete. And he’s dropped! As Kagiso Rabada replaced Ngidi, Root went for one of his favourite shots, the glide past gully, and hit it straight to Wiaan Mulder, who couldn’t hold on. Harry Brook, widely tipped to be England’s next white-ball captain, grabs the wheel with two square drives for four, both beautifully struck – one wristy and subtle, the other scorching across the turf.
7th over: England 38-3 (Root 3, Brook 0) So Jansen has 3-19 off four overs. And England seem to have reached the stage we’ve seen all too often on tours of Australia: reduced to rubble.
WICKET! Duckett c & b Jansen 24 (England 37-3)
Duckett’s strength becomes a weakness as that clip to leg turns into a leading edge and the ball loops back to the bowler. Hello darkness, my old friend.
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6th over: England 37-2 (Duckett 24, Root 3) Ngidi finds his line and concedes only two singles.
“Why is Jamie Smith in at 3,” splutters Patrick Kennedy. “Root claims 4 as the senior pro, but Brook loafs at 5 and Buttler leads (?) from 6… Smith is a keeper/batter and gets sacrificed for the wimps in the middle order! No wonder England are Rubbish - oh and Salt needs to work out the difference between 50 and 20 overs.” Fair comment on Smith and Salt, but please, let’s not call any of these players a wimp.
Root is one of England’s all-time greats in Test cricket, and pretty good at this too. Brook has it in him to be even better than Root, and Buttler is England’s greatest-ever white-ball batter. They all face lethally fast bowling, and formidably high pressure, all the time. They are the opposite of wimps.
5th over: England 35-2 (Duckett 23, Root 2) Duckett picks up his first four off Jansen, who, like Ngidi, strays onto the leg stump. And then, in another action replay, Jansen does it again and Duckett helps himself to two more. This game is so easy when you’re in form and so fiendish when you’re not.
4th over: England 28-2 (Duckett 17, Root 1) Duckett, still quite unruffled, glances Ngidi for four more – but then he’s nearly run out! He plays a nice square force, turns for the third run, and would be out by several yards if South Africa had anyone at the stumps to gather Stubbs’s excellent throw (Markram did amble in, rather too late). So Duckett survives and he’s now the leading scorer in this Champions Trophy, with 220, just ahead of Ibrahim Zadran (217).
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3rd over: England 20-2 (Duckett 10, Root 0) So England’s two in-form batters are together again. And their two top-order flops just keep on flopping: Salt finishes with 30 runs in the tournament, Smith 24. McCullum gambled by putting Smith in at No 3, giving him an unfamiliar position in an unfamiliar format, and the gamble never looked like paying off.
WICKET! Smith c Markram b Jansen 0 (England 20-2)
Same again! A short ball, a miscued pull, a top edge, a simple catch. Jamie Smith’s first ICC tournament ends not with a bang, but a whimper.
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2nd over: England 18-1 (Duckett 9, Smith 0) England have two players who have held their heads high throughout this troubled tour – Ben Duckett and Joe Root. Duckett, facing Lungi Ngidi, plays two serene clips for four, as if he hadn’t even noticed that he’d lost his opening partner.
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1st over: England 9-1 (Duckett 0, Smith 0) Marco Jansen’s left-arm angle was a foreign language to poor Salt, who hadn’t even been able to face it in the nets as England left all their lefties at home. He managed a spank over cover for four but played and missed twice, almost gave a catch in the ring with a shovel to leg, and then got that top edge. One of the worst run-a-ball innings you will ever see.
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WICKET! Salt c van der Dussen b Jansen 8 (England 9-1)
Oh dear. As a top edge soars into the air and plops into the hands of midwicket, Phil Salt’s miserable tournament is complete. And so, perhaps, is his ODI career.
The players are out there and the pitch is a biscuit, albeit with a few cracks. Correction to the team sheet: South Africa’s keeper is Klaasen, not Rickelton.
And here’s our man on the ground. “Greetings from Karachi, Tim, where the public address system hype person has just announced the two teams to err pretty much nobody,” says Ali Martin. “Did walk past Shahid Afridi in the media centre just now. He looks very dapper in a pink suit and aviators. It’s his birthday today, apparently, 48 years young. In other news, it appears Australia and (in all likelihood) South Africa will both fly from Pakistan to Dubai today, with one of them then doing an Abe Simpson and heading straight back to Lahore, depending on the result of India versus New Zealand tomorrow. What a farce.”
It’s grim, the way the ICC bosses pander to India. Volodymyr Zelenskyy they are not.
Teams: South Africa
Bavuma’s place goes to Tristan Stubbs, and Heinrich Klaasen is back to give the middle order an air of friendly menace.
1 Ryan Rickelton (wkt), 2 Tristan Stubbs, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Aiden Markram (capt), 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 David Miller, 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Lungi Ngidi.
Teams: England
Mark Wood picked up yet another injury on Wednesday, so England bring in Saqib Mahmood, whose swing should add some much-needed variety. That’s the only change: Brendon McCullum is not a coach who believes in giving everybody a go.
England 1 Salt, 2 Duckett, 3 Smith (wkt), 4 Root, 5 Brook, 6 Buttler (capt), 7 Livingstone, 8 J Overton, 9 Archer, 10 Rashid, 11 Mahmood.
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The other captain is ... Aiden Markram
There’s illness in the South African camp and Temba Bavuma is one of those who are stricken. Aiden Markram takes over, possibly not on the strength of his oratory. At the toss, he’s a little terse, but polite. “Happy to chase,” he mutters, “against a strong England team.”
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Toss: a win for Jos!
Jos Buttler calls heads, and heads it is. He decides to bat first. “Honoured to do it for one last time,” he says. “A bit of sadness – it’s such an honour and it’s not panned out as I would have liked it to. But, some good moments along the way…” He can say that again: he won a T20 World Cup. And even in the bad times, he has led with dignity and decency.
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Preamble
Well, this is exciting. South Africa have all but qualified already, and England, after yesterday’s damp squib involving Australia and Afghanistan, can’t even climb off the bottom of the group. If the coaches had a full set of reserves, they might be tempted to make 11 changes.
Still, there’s always pride. And personal achievement. And the arc of a career. There are wickets to be taken, hundreds to be scored, nudges to be given. One side have semi-final places to play for; the other have markers to lay down for a rebuild. And Jos Buttler has one last outing as England’s white-ball captain. He may have had a torrid time lately, but he was good enough to lift a World Cup.
The rubber may be a dead one, but this is a contest between the second-fastest scorers in the 2025 Champions Trophy so far and the third-fastest. And it’s not the South Africans who are second.
Play starts at 9am GMT. See you about 8.35 with news of the toss and the teams.
