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LEEDS: Keshav Maharaj took 4-22 and Aiden Markram smashed 86 in 55 balls as South Africa skittled England for 131 before chasing down their target with ease to win by seven wickets in 20.5 overs in the first One-day International at Headingley on Tuesday.
South Africa sent England into bat and the home side made a bright start as they reached 82-2 in the 14th over, before losing their last eight wickets for the addition of 49 runs, a woeful batting collapse peppered with poor shot selections.
Maharaj and all-rounder Wiaan Mulder (3-33) did the bulk of the damage at an overcast Headingley after Proteas captain Temba Bavuma won the toss.
Only Jamie Smith put up any sort of resistance with a fine 54 from 48 balls, but South African openers Markram and Ryan Rickelton (31 not out from 59 balls) showed the pitch was a good one with a first wicket partnership of 121 in 18.1 overs.
Markram was especially severe on England debutant fast bowler Sonny Baker, whose seven overs cost a hugely expensive 76 runs. Baker had earlier been out for golden duck.
England came into the match with no 50-overs-per-side preparation against a South Africa side fresh from a 2-1 series win in Australia.
“Winning the first game is very important,” Bavuma told Sky Sports. “We spoke about that as a team and building from the momentum that we managed to get in Australia. “With the ball we were clinical.”
Markram raced to fifty off 23 balls and was later well caught by Jamie Smith at cover off leg-spinner Adil Rashid (3-26).
Rashid then took two wickets in two balls on his Yorkshire home ground with the scores level.
Dewald Brevis survived the hat-trick and next ball his straight six put the Proteas went 1-0 up in a three-match series, with Harry Brook’s six-game winning streak as England’s white-ball captain coming to an emphatic end.
Earlier, opener Smith was the only England batsman to make an impact, with the hosts’ next highest score Jos Buttler’s 15.
“[The batting] wasn’t ideal,” said Brook. “It was just one of those bad days and we have to move on as quickly as possible. “Everyone will hold their hands up and say they had a bad day, apart from [Smith] who batted really nicely.”
Brook (12) and Joe Root (14), who both featured in an enthralling drawn Test series against India and then went straight into the Hundred franchise competition, were out cheaply on their Yorkshire home ground.
Maharaj, the world’s top-ranked ODI bowler, had Jacob Bethell (one) caught off a thick outside edge and held a gentle return catch to dismiss Will Jacks.
Mulder removed Buttler and Jofra Archer with successive deliveries before Maharaj also took two wickets in two balls to wrap up England’s innings in 24.3 overs.
He had Rashid lbw and then clean bowled last man Baker.
The series continues at Lord’s on Thursday.
SCOREBOARD
ENGLAND:
J. Smith c Bosch b Mulder 54
B. Duckett c Rickelton b Burger 5
J. Root c Rickelton b Ngidi 14
H. Brook run out 12
J. Buttler c Rickelton b Mulder 15
J. Bethell c Markram b Maharaj 1
W. Jacks c & b Maharaj 7
B. Carse not out 3
J. Archer c Markram b Mulder 0
A. Rashid lbw Maharaj 9
S. Baker b Maharaj 0
EXTRAS (B-1, LB-6, W-4) 11
TOTAL (all out, 24.3 overs) 131
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-13 (Duckett), 2-44 (Root), 3-82 (Brook), 4-102 (Smith), 5-107 (Bethell), 6-117 (Jacks), 7-119 (Buttler), 8-119 (Archer), 9-131 (Rashid)
BOWLING: Burger 4-0-28-1 (2w); Ngidi 5-0-20-1; Bosch 3-0-21-0; Mulder 7-0-33-3 (1w); Maharaj 5.3-0-22-4 (1w)
SOUTH AFRICA:
A. Markram c Smith b Rashid 86
R. Rickelton not out 31
T. Bavuma c Jacks b Rashid 6
T. Stubbs b Rashid 0
D. Brevis not out 6
EXTRAS (LB-3, NB-1, W-4) 8
TOTAL (for three wkts, 20.5 overs) 137
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-121 (Markram), 2-131 (Bavuma), 3-131 (Stubbs)
DID NOT BAT: T. de Zorzi, W. Mulder, C. Bosch, K. Maharaj, N. Burger, L. Ngidi
BOWLING: Baker 7-0-76-0 (4w); Archer 5-1-8-0; Carse 5-0-24-0 (1nb); Rashid 3.5-0-26-3
RESULT: South Africa won by seven wickets.
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Keshav Maharaj
SERIES: South Africa lead three-match series 1-0.
Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2025
