KARACHI: Jos Buttler’s tumultuous tenure as England captain concluded in a haze of despair as South Africa orchestrated a commanding seven-wicket victory here at the National Bank Stadium on Saturday, ending England’s dismal Champions Trophy campaign and extending their ODI losing streak to six matches.

In a contest that mirrored the stark contrast between the sides’ current trajectories, the Proteas dismantled England’s brittle batting line-up before clinically chasing down a paltry 180 with 20 overs to spare, their dominance reverberating across a near-empty stadium.

“I thought the boys were really good,” South Africa’s stand-in captain Aiden Markram said in the post-match interview.

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

For South Africa, who topped Group ‘B’ with the victory, this was a statement of intent. Marco Jansen’s fiery opening spell earned him player-of-the-match, but the real triumph lay in their middle order’s icy efficiency. Raseie Van der Dussen’s unbe­aten 72 — a blend of elegance and calculated aggression — epitomised their maturity, while Heinrich Klaasen’s audacious strokeplay showcased their depth.

England, meanwhile, exit the tournament battered. Buttler’s captaincy swansong encapsulated their tournament. Flashes of individual brilliance drowned by collective frailty. Their batting, once the envy of white-ball cricket, has disintegrated into a cycle of rash shots and fractured partnerships.

“A really disappointing performance. We were so far short of the mark today,” Buttler said after the match.

“It was a decent surface — pretty slow but a bit two-paced. 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.”

Electing to bat first on a surface offering subtle movement, England’s innings unraveled within moments. Jansen (3-42), South Africa’s towering left-arm quick, set the tone by removing Phil Salt (eight) and Jamie Smith (0) in near-identical fashion — both perishing to reckless pull shots. Ben Duckett’s brief counterattack (24 off 21) injected hope, but his dismissal — a miscued drive lobbed back to Jansen — left England reeling at 37/3.

Joe Root, fresh from a century against Afghanistan, emerged as the lone beacon of resistance. A dropped catch by Wiaan Mulder off Kagiso Rabada granted him a reprieve on 12, and he capitalised with trademark grit, threading Jansen through the covers and lofting Mulder for a 78-metre six. Yet partners evaporated around him.

Harry Brook (19) holed out to a spectacular catch by Jansen sprinting backward, while Liam Livingstone’s chaotic charge at Keshav Maharaj (2-35) ended in a humiliating stumping. Root’s vigil concluded at 37 when Mulder’s in-swinger demolished his stumps, exposing a tail that wagged briefly but inadequately.

Buttler (21 off 43) and Jofra Archer (25 off 31) stitched a defiant 40-run stand, the latter crunching four boundaries in a cameo that embarrassingly made him England’s second-highest scorer. But once Archer top-edged Mulder (3-25) and Buttler chipped Lungi Ngidi to mid-off, the innings folded for 179 in 38.2 overs — a total that screamed vulnerability.

South Africa’s reply began shakily as Jofra Archer (2-48), channeling his trademark fire, uprooted Tristan Stubbs’ off-stump for a duck in the third over. Ryan Rickleton’s aggressive start (27 off 25) injected momentum, but Archer struck again, a low inswinger sneaking through his defenses.

At 58-2 in the powerplay, England glimpsed a lifeline, but what followed was a masterclass in composure.

Klaasen, returning from injury, and Van der Dussen transformed the chase into a procession. Klaasen, initially watchful, erupted against Jamie Overton, disdainfully flicking him through mid-wicket before unleashing a flurry of classical cover drives. Van der Dussen, the anchor, rotated strike effortlessly, capitalising on loose deliveries — a six over mid-on off Adil Rashid punctuated his growing authority.

The pair’s 100-run partnership off 105 balls extinguished any lingering drama. Klaasen raced to a 41-ball fifty, peppering Archer with back-to-back boundaries in a 14-run over that broke the seamer’s resolve. Van der Dussen, meanwhile, shifted gears imperiously, launching Livingstone for a monstrous six over mid-off before bringing up his 87-ball 72 not out with a straight six off Rashid.

Klaasen’s dismissal for 64 — caught at backward point attempting a flamboyant finish — offered England a token consolation, but David Miller sealed the inevitable with a nonchalant six off Livingstone, sealing victory with 125 balls to spare.

SCOREBOARD

ENGLAND:

P. Salt c van der Dussen b Jansen 8

B. Duckett c & b Jansen 24

J. Smith c Markram b Jansen 0

J. Root b Mulder 37

H. Brook c Jansen b Maharaj 19

J. Buttler c Maharaj b Ngidi 21

L. Livingstone st Klaasen b Maharaj 9

J. Overton c Ngidi b Rabada 11

J. Archer c Jansen b Mulder 25

A. Rashid c Klaasen b Mulder 2

S. Mahmood not out 5

EXTRAS (LB-5, NB-1, W-12) 18

TOTAL (all out, 38.2 overs) 179

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-9 (Salt), 2-20 (Smith), 3-37 (Duckett), 4-99 (Brook), 5-103 (Root), 6-114 (Livingstone), 7-129 (Overton), 8-171 (Archer), 9-173 (Buttler)

BOWLING: Jansen 7-0-39-3 (6w), Ngidi 7-0-33-1, Rabada 7-1-42-1 (1w, 1nb), Mulder 7.2-0-25-3 (5w), Maharaj 10-1-35-2

SOUTH AFRICA:

R. Rickelton b Archer 27

T. Stubbs b Archer 0

R. van der Dussen not out 72

H. Klaasen c Mahmood b Rashid 64

D. Miller not out 7

EXTRAS (W-11) 11

TOTAL (for three wickets, 29.1 overs) 181

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-11 (Stubbs), 2-47 (Rickelton), 3-174 (Klaasen)

DID NOT BAT: A. Markram, W. Mulder, M. Jansen, K. Maharaj, K. Rabada, L. Ngidi

BOWLING: Archer 9-0-55-2 (8w), Mahmood 5-0-31-0 (1w), Overton 5-0-34-0, Rashid 7-0-37-1 (1w), Livingstone 3.1-0-24-0

RESULT: South Africa won by seven wickets.

PLAYER-OF-THE-MATCH: Marco Jansen

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2025