It was a hot and humid Saturday afternoon. A near-capacity turnout at the Wankhede Stadium made it even more piping. While South Africa turned up in red-hot form, England wilted under the sun and the Proteas onslaught as the anticipated high-voltage clash turned into a lopsided affair.
Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen’s blitzkrieg in the last 10 overs meant South Africa put on 399 for seven, the highest ever ODI total against England and the second highest at the venue.
Had it not been for Mark Wood wielding the long handle after the Proteas’ pace attack had taken the fizz out of the chase, England would have folded up for a total lesser than the 143 runs South Africa hammered in the last 10 overs.
Eventually, England’s innings lasted only 22 overs, before folding up for 173 for nine, with Reece Topley not risking to bat in a lost cause after having hurt his finger in the first innings. The huge margin of defeat - 229 - coupled with the fact of it being its third loss in four outings so far means England’s hopes of defending the title are fading fast.
Even before Jansen starred with the new ball to run through England’s top-order and virtually seal the result, it was his batting exploits in a murderous partnership with Klaasen that did the trick for his team.
Captain Temba Bavuma was ruled out due a stomach bug minutes before the toss. Reeza Hendricks converted the loss into a blessing in disguise, adding 120 with Rassie van der Dussen after Quinton de Kock perished to Topley in the opening over of the game.
Aiden Markram - the stand-in captain - then continued to build on the good work, first with Hendricks, who missed out on a deserving hundred, and later with Klaasen.
But when Topley returned from an injury break to dismiss Markram and David Miller in successive overs, England hoped to restrict South Africa to a total well below 350 on a flat bed.
While Jansen took time to get his eye in, Klaasen started opening his shoulders. He drove, cut and pulled with aplomb.
Once Jansen started wielding his long handle, an already rattled England bowling unit - with injuries, ailments and the heat having gotten to it - was found clueless.
The last five overs yielded South Africa a whopping 84 runs and a target of 400 was going to be all but safe. Jansen’s opening burst then reduced England to 24 for three and ensured that the defending champion continued to face the heat despite a cool breeze blowing across the stadium.
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