England's Champions Trophy ends in sorry defeat

Champions Trophy, Group B, Karachi

England 179 (38.2 overs): Root 37; Mulder 3-25, Jansen 3-39

South Africa 181-3 (29.1 overs): Van der Dussen 72*; Archer 2-55

South Africa won by 7 wickets

Scorecard

England's dismal Champions Trophy run ended with a atrocious seven-wicket decision by South Africa successful Karachi.

Already retired of the tourney aft 2 losses from two, England were incapable to assistance themselves aft skipper Jos Buttler announced his impending resignation a time earlier.

Their batting woes deepened arsenic they were bowled retired for 179 successful 38.2 overs, with Joe Root's 37 the highest people amid a flurry of horrid dismissals. Buttler made 21 successful his last outing arsenic skipper.

That efficaciously sealed England's seventh consecutive one-day planetary decision by the halfway signifier and South Africa took conscionable 29.1 overs to implicit their chase.

Jofra Archer took 2 aboriginal wickets but Rassie van der Dussen deed an unbeaten 72 and Heinrich Klaasen 64 from 56 balls arsenic the pursuit became a procession.

The Proteas advancement arsenic radical winners to the semi-finals, wherever they volition play the loser of Sunday's lucifer betwixt India and New Zealand.

England instantly caput location aft a torrid commencement to 2025. They person not been connected a worse losing tally for 24 years and their grounds successful 2025 reads 10 defeats successful 11 matches crossed formats.

This is besides the archetypal clip they person failed to triumph a lucifer successful the radical signifier of a planetary event.

There is, astatine least, a interruption of astir 3 months earlier their adjacent fixture - a Test against Zimbabwe astatine Trent Bridge which begins connected 22 May to people the commencement of the men's location planetary summer.

Coach Brendon McCullum said connected Thursday nighttime helium hoped England's players could "put connected a show" to send-off Buttler. No specified show was forthcoming.

In defeats by Australia and Afghanistan successful Lahore, England were competitory and could easy person won some fixtures had they been amended successful cardinal moments.

This defeat, acceptable successful question by anemic batting, ranks among their lowest moments astatine satellite events with the players seemingly beaten up by their losses crossed six weeks successful India and Pakistan.

The exit and Buttler's resignation allows the rebuild to commencement instantly with McCullum and managing manager Rob Key's archetypal task to name a caller captain.

Buttler's clip began with victory successful the T20 World Cup successful Australia, astatine which constituent England were the holders of some white-ball World Cups.

They nary longer look similar contenders, ne'er caput champions. The roadworthy to betterment could beryllium long.

England's descent to decision began successful the archetypal implicit erstwhile Phil Salt, having crashed 2 fours, tamely top-edged a propulsion to mid-wicket for nine.

His tourney tally of 30 runs successful 3 innings is six amended than Jamie Smith's, who ended with a three-ball duck arsenic helium departed successful identical to Salt.

There was to beryllium nary rebuild from Ben Duckett and Root this time. The erstwhile chipped a instrumentality drawback to Marco Jansen, who dismissed the apical 3 successful taking 3-39, via a starring edge, portion Root was bowled by seamer Wiaan Mulder.

In between, Harry Brook, galore people's favourite to instrumentality implicit from Buttler, offered excessively overmuch aerial successful attempting to wide mid-wicket and was brilliantly caught by the sprawling Jansen connected the boundary.

South Africa's fielding was superb – Lungi Ngidi athletically taking Jamie Overton portion moving backmost from mid-on – but a frazzled England were inept successful their decision-making.

The worst dismissal was that of Liam Livingstone, who charged spinner Keshav Maharaj, attempted a hack to leg, missed and was comically stumped for nine.

Buttler's last innings arsenic skipper ended successful tame manner arsenic helium looped Ngidi to mid-off. When Mulder nicked disconnected Adil Rashid to decorativeness with 3-25, England had been dismissed wrong their allotted overs for the eighth clip successful 11 matches this year.

England were ne'er going to support their full connected a bully transportation but erstwhile Archer sent down 4 wides successful a 10-ball opening implicit it gave the look of a squad demoralised.

Archer bowled some South Africa openers – Tristan Stubbs with a abbreviated shot that deflected down disconnected the mitt and Ryan Rickelton by 1 that kept debased – but conceded a further 4 wides successful a seven-over opening spell.

Boundaries flowed passim with immoderate strength agelong gone from the game.

South Africa had mislaid skipper Temba Bavuma and opener Tony de Zorzi to unwellness for this lucifer but inactive look a fearsome side.

That Klassen, whose century successful Mumbai astatine the 2023 World Cup started England's autumn from grace, has recovered signifier aft missing the opening lucifer with an elbow wounded is simply a immense boost.

He enactment connected 127 with Van der Dussen and cruised to a half-century, hitting 11 fours, earlier slicing Rashid to backward constituent with six runs to get.

India stay tourney favourites but the Proteas, whose triumph was sealed by an emphatic David Miller six, person the firepower to spell each of the way.

England skipper Jos Buttler: "That was a truly disappointing performance. We were truthful acold abbreviated of the people there.

"We're conscionable not going connected and making those large telling contributions, which has been the communicative of this broadside for a small portion now.

"I don't cognize why. As a full group, not conscionable batters, we're not getting the results and that does instrumentality distant your confidence.

"There is nary uncertainty that the endowment is there, determination is each the makings of a truly bully broadside truthful I bash judge it tin beryllium turned around."

South Africa skipper Aiden Markram: "The boys were truly good. The wicket was rather slow, slower than we expected, and changed our archetypal plans. The boys adapted to the conditions retired determination and done that, we were capable to instrumentality wickets passim the innings and support the momentum."

On perchance playing a semi-final successful Dubai: "We'll person to spot erstwhile we get determination what conditions are going to beryllium like. We've got a large squad with large options and ultimately, we'll prime the squad to get the occupation done connected the day."

Chief cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew connected Test Match Special: "A wretched show from England and yet not needfully unexpected.

"It was a dispirited team, zero assurance and the 'we can't hold to get home' cognition was evident."