South Africa vs England Highlights, ICC Champions Trophy 2025: SA hammer ENG by 7 wickets to finish as Group B toppers

South Africa vs England Highlights, ICC Champions Trophy 2025: SA hammer ENG by 7 wickets

South Africa vs England Highlights, ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Heinrich Klaasen and Rassie van der Dussen hit half-centuries as South Africa registered a thumping seven-wicket win over struggling England to book a semi-final place at the Champions Trophy. Jofra Archer struck twice and got the better of South African openers Tristan Stubbs and Ryan Rickelton inside the powerplay, but Klaasen and Van der Dussen made it a cakewalk for the Proteas.

South Africa wrapped England's innings for 179 and booked the final spot in the semi-final as Afghanistan are eliminated from the race. Marco Jansen (3/39) took three wickets upfront to reduce England to 37 for three inside seven overs and they failed to stage recovery at any stage in the game.

Joe Root top-scored with 37 but several England batters including skipper Jos Buttler (21), Ben Duckett (24) and even Jofra Archer (25) failed to push on. Harry Brook also failed the spin test again and was dismissed by Keshav Maharaj for 19. Earlier, Marco Jansen ran riot and claimed three early wickets to put England on backfoot. Jos Buttler won the toss in his final match as captain, while a bug in the South Africa camp meant Temba Bavuma had to sit out, Aiden Markram standing in as captain. Phil Salt's poor run in ODI cricket continued, dismissed by Marco Jansen in the first over.

It is the penultimate group-stage match of the ICC Champions Trophy. Two teams with contrastingly different fortunes go head-to-head in what is more or less a formality of a game, but one that could have a significant impact on the rest of this tournament nonetheless. South Africa, who have all but qualified, are up against England, already subjected to two losses and eliminated from the tournament.

South Africa are tied on points with Afghanistan, but having thrashed them in the opening game of their campaign, are well clear on the NRR front. England would need to beat the Proteas by 207 runs, or chase down a small target at more than 10 runs per over. Afghanistan won’t be hoping for any favours from an English team who have looked lacklustre all tournament and well before, especially with Jos Buttler announcing that he will step down from captaincy. There isn’t a lot of spirit in this English camp, but every team wants something to show for their effort. Who knows, maybe all it requires is a win in this contest for England to find some sort of spark.

Meanwhile, South Africa will want top spot in this group, and will fight for that. They are the second-strongest team in the competition on balance of teams, and will want the group placement to warrant that kind of stature. They will also be hoping to avoid playing India in Dubai earlier than they have to, and while they will need to rely on results in Group A for that, there is no question that their strengths lie in playing on surfaces such as the one they will get in Karachi today, or in Lahore should they make that semifinal. So far in Karachi in this tournament, both matches have been won by teams scoring in the 310-320 range batting first, and might therefore not be a chasing pitch.

Of course, South Africa have also only played one match this tournament, and getting in more gametime will be crucial. They looked in solid form against Afghanistan, but will want their batting to play itself into form and for the bowlers to get more reps into playing in these subcontinental conditions. They will also be hoping that Heinrich Klaasen is fit to play, and in doing so gain a game-changing player who could be the difference between 350 and 400 if he can find his groove in the middle order.

For England, there isn’t anything other than pride to play for. They have looked toothless, error-prone, and without a clear idea of how to win ODI games. They have had a couple of terrific performances thanks to Ben Duckett and Joe Root’s fine centuries, but there are more questions than solutions present in this team. This match will be the last chance for a lot of these players — Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone prime amongst them — to stake a claim for the long-term future of this English ODI team, otherwise they will fall victim to the upcoming major reset that English cricket must take.

Highlights from the South Africa vs England ICC Champions Trophy match:

- South Africa (181/3) beat England (179) by 7 wickets to qualify for Champions Trophy semi-finals as Group B toppers.

- Heinrich Klaasen slammed 11th half-century in 41 balls. South Africa 120/2 in 20.5 overs vs England (179).

- Jofra Archer struck twice and got the better of South African openers Tristan Stubbs and Ryan Rickelton inside powerplay.

- England 179 all out (J Root 37; W Mulder 3/25, M Jansen 3/39) in 38.2 overs vs South Africa.

- Wiaan Mulder broke the 42-run stand between Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer by dismissing the latter.

- Wiaan Mulder dismissed Joe Root for 37 as England half down!

- Joe Root and Harry Brook managed to rebuild innings with a 50-run stand.

- Marco Jansen ran riot in his first spell and claimed three wickets for 29 runs in five overs.