England’s decision to bowl first against South Africa in stifling conditions in Mumbai was a self-inflicted wound as they slipped to a team record 229-run ODI loss that leaves their World Cup semi-final hopes hanging by a thread.
The defending champions won the toss and selected to bowl, but toiled in the heat and humidity and allowed South Africa to amass 399 in their 50 overs.
“It’s incredibly disappointing, we came here with high hopes to play our best cricket and we were short of that and well beaten,” England captain Jos Buttler said.
“Potentially, we should have batted first with the heat. You always look back on the decisions you made. It was incredibly tough conditions, we saw that with the boys in the field.”
It was the reigning champions’ biggest loss in the history of ODI cricket. Having amassed the second-highest total in this year’s edition — the first also belongs to the Proteas — the South African pace battery ran through England’s famed batting line-
up with tremendous ease, terminating their innings at 170 in 22 overs.
In World Cup history, South Africa’s win over England is now the joint-sixth highest by margin of runs.
For a side which lifted the last two white-ball ICC tournaments, England have hit the nadir in this edition as their woes deepened further across departments. They are now placed ninth in 10-team table.
If it was not for a ninth-wicket 70-run stand between Mark Wood (43 not out) and Gus Atkinson (35), England’s loss would feature among one of the worst in the history of ODI cricket.
The return of their “spiritual leader” Ben Stokes — who did not bowl and managed a mere 5 — also had no impact whatsoever as he played his first game in this World Cup.
England’s disintegration began when Heinrich Klaasen produced a hundred of the highest quality. Klaasen resurrected South Africa with his third century of the year and overall fourth, hammering 109 off just 67 balls while Marco Jansen smashed a terrific 75 not out (42 balls, 3x4s, 6x6s).
South Africa stumbled in the middle overs after Reeza Hendricks (85 off 75 balls, 9x4s, 3x6s) and Rassie van der Dussen (60 off 61 balls, 8x4s) ensured a strong platform, but Klaasen and Jansen produced a blockbuster finish.
