England Crush South Africa by 342 Runs to Seal Dominant ODI Win
England produced a stunning all-round performance to defeat South Africa by 342 runs in the third ODI of the series at Southampton on Sunday.
South African captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and elected to bowl first, but England made full use of the opportunity with the bat, posting a mammoth 414 for 5 in 50 overs.
England got off to a solid start, putting on 59 runs for the opening wicket before Ben Duckett departed for 30. Jamie Smith added 62 runs, setting the platform for a huge middle-order stand.
The highlight of the innings came from Jacob Bethell and Joe Root, who shared a brilliant 182-run partnership for the third wicket, completely taking the game away from South Africa. Bethell top-scored with a superb 110, while Root contributed a classy 100. Towards the end, skipper Jos Buttler provided the finishing touches with an explosive 62 not out off 32 balls.
Chasing 415, South Africa collapsed to just 72 all out in 20.5 overs. England’s bowlers struck early, reducing the visitors to four down inside the powerplay and never allowing them to recover. Corbin Bosch (20), Keshav Maharaj (17), and Tristan Stubbs (10) were the only batters to reach double figures.
For England, Jofra Archer was the standout, picking up 4 wickets, while the rest of the attack maintained relentless pressure.
With this emphatic win, England completed one of their biggest ODI victories, outclassing South Africa in every department.
