South Africa 137 for 3 (Markram 86) beat England 131 (Smith 54, Maharaj 4-22, Mulder 3-33) by seven wickets
England’s batting woes resurfaced as they crumbled for just 131 runs in under 25 overs, their fourth-lowest ODI total against South Africa. Aiden Markram then lit up the chase with a record-breaking knock, guiding his side to a seven-wicket victory and a 1-0 series lead.
England’s Fragile Start
England began positively with Jamie Smith and Joe Root finding early boundaries. But Ben Duckett fell cheaply to Nandre Burger, while Root edged behind soon after. Despite Smith’s fluent half-century, England lost momentum. A mix-up between Harry Brook and Smith cost England another wicket, and the slide began.
Keshav Maharaj, recently ranked No.1 in ODI bowling, dismantled England’s middle order with 4 for 22. Wiaan Mulder chipped in with 3 for 33, including back-to-back strikes that left England reeling.
“𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚; 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚,” 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓.
Markram’s Record Knock
Chasing a modest target, South Africa came out blazing. Markram smashed a fifty off just 23 balls – the fastest by a South African opener – as he and Ryan Rickelton added 121 for the opening stand. Debutant Sonny Baker endured a tough start, conceding 76 runs in seven overs.
Although Markram fell short of a century, his 86 off 41 balls sealed the result. Dewald Brevis finished the game with a six as South Africa cruised to victory in just 125 balls.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒍𝒚,” 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒓𝒂𝒎 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉.
With this emphatic win, South Africa showed they are already shaping plans for the 2027 World Cup, while England looked weary after their long stint in the Hundred.
Also Read: Andy Tennant Steps Down as Essex Women’s Head Coach
