England emerged victorious by a mammoth 342-run margin against South Africa in the third and final ODI of the three-match series. The Proteas, however, ended up securing the series by a 1-2 margin. England victory is the biggest-ever in terms of runs in the history of ODI cricket.
After being asked to bat, England got the ideal foundation from openers Ben Duckett (31 off 33) and Jamie Smith (62 off 48). The partnership was broken Duckett fell to Bosch in the ninth over while Keshav Maharaj dismissed Smith in the 17th. South Africa’s search for the next wicket ended in the 40th over as Jacob Bethell slammed his maiden ODI ton (110 off just 82 balls) and added a massive 182 runs off 144 balls for the third wicket with Joe Root. Root scored a century of his own, amassing 100 off 96.
South Africa struck twice in the 41st over with Bethell falling to Maharaj and Harry Brook being run out. However, a late blitz from Jos Buttler (62* off 32) powered England to 414/5 in their 50 overs, including 27 extras. Nandre Burger (0/95 in 10 overs) was the most expensive bowler while Codi Yusuf conceded 80 in 10 overs on his ODI debut. Bosch (2/79 in 10 overs) and Keshav Maharaj (2/61 in 8 overs) took a couple of wickets each.
Out to chase a mammoth target, it was a horror show South Africa with the bat as hey were reduced to 7/4 in 4.4 overs, staring at a record low total, with Jofra Archer breathing fire. By the time they faced 10 overs, the touring outfit had lost six wickets already. Bosch (20 off 32) emerged as the top-scorer in a rather forgettable performance.
Keshav Maharaj (17 off 17) and Tristan Stubbs (10 off 22) were the two batters to have got to double-digit scores as South Africa folded for a paltry 72 in 20.5 overs. Archer (4/18 in 9 overs) was the chief architect of England’s win with the ball and secured the Player of the Match award. Adil Rashid (3/13 in 3.5 overs) and Brydon Carse (2/33 in 6 overs) were also among the wickets.
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