South Africa produced a dominant display to top Group B and march into the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy 2025, dismantling England with a comprehensive victory by seven wickets. England’s campaign ended in disarray as Jos Buttler’s tenure as white-ball captain came to a disappointing conclusion with a heavy defeat. Under Buttler’s leadership, England end with a seven-game losing streak in ODIs!
Horrible batting by England
England won the toss and elected to bat first on what was a decent wicket to bat on. However, the English batters got rumbled against a fiery Marco Jansen, who claimed 3/39. He sent back Phil Salt, Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett, rattling the entire top-order. Joe Root, fresh off his century against Afghanistan, looked set for another long-haul before he got castled for 37 against Wiaan Mulder, who was as impressive as anyone, taking 3/25.
Unfortunately for England, Root’s 37 was the highest score by an Englishman. Buttler, playing his last ODI as captain, made 21 as England made a subpar total of 179.
In reply, Despite an early hiccup when Tristan Stubbs fell for a duck to Jofra Archer, South Africa never looked in trouble. Rickelton struggled to find his rhythm and eventually perished to Archer, but Rassie van der Dussen held firm at one end, ensuring there were no further setbacks.
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Klaasen-Dussen make light work of the chase
The real impetus in the chase came from Heinrich Klaasen, who played a blistering knock. He dominated the English bowlers with his aggressive stroke play, finding the boundaries at will. His counter-attacking innings took the pressure off van der Dussen, who paced his innings beautifully and accelerated when the finish line was in sight. Both batters reached their half-centuries with ease, and although Klaasen fell towards the end, it was merely a consolation for England.
South Africa cruised to victory with 125 balls to spare, sending a strong message to their semi-final opponents. England, on the other hand, exit the tournament with their morale shattered, having failed to compete in yet another crucial game.
End of an era for Jos Buttler
With this defeat, Jos Buttler’s time as England’s white-ball captain came to an end on a sour note. England’s performance in the tournament was plagued by poor bowling discipline and inconsistent batting, culminating in an embarrassing exit. The Three Lions now face a period of transition as they look to rebuild under a new leadership structure. England’s defences of their 50-over and T20 World Cup titles ended in disappointment – a semifinal exit in the Caribbean and a group-stage stumble in India. Buttler’s captaincy record is a tale of two formats. In ODIs, he’s overseen 44 matches, with 18 wins, 25 defeats, and one no result. Not bad, but not brilliant either. T20s, though, are a different story – 26 wins, 22 defeats, and three no results in 51 matches.
ICC Champions Trophy, 2025 – Points Table (Group B)
| Team | Mat | Won | Lost | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | +2.395 |
| Australia (Q) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | +0.475 |
| Afghanistan (E) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -0.990 |
| England (E) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1.159 |
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