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| ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, Mumbai: |
| South Africa 399-7 (50 overs): Klaasen 109 (67), Jansen 75* (42) |
| England 170 (22 overs): Wood 43* (17), Atkinson 35 (21) |
| South Africa win by 229 runs |
| Scorecard. Table |
England’s World Cup defence is hanging by a thread after a horrible 229-run thrashing by South Africa in Mumbai.
The world champions can still qualify for the semi-finals but will likely have to win all five of their remaining group matches to guarantee doing so.
In one of their all-time worst defeats, England struggled with illness and injury in sweltering heat and the Proteas crashed 399-7 – the most England have ever conceded in a 50-over game.
Heinrich Klaasen hit a 61-ball hundred and Marco Jansen 75 from 42 balls as England lost all control.
Having been battered in the field, England’s batters were then blown away in what became in an increasingly ugly night.
They were 68-6 and then 100-8 – only some slogging from Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson preventing an even more humiliating margin of defeat.
Still, it is the largest in their history in terms of runs in one-day international cricket, with Jos Buttler’s side 170 all out in 22 overs.
Their floundering campaign continues against Sri Lanka on Thursday before meetings against India and Australia that could end their chances.
England hammered in the heat
England came into this game needing a statement win to resurrect their campaign.
Instead, it has been left in a sorry mess after one of their all-time lows on this stage.
They won the toss and rung the changes – Chris Woakes, Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone all dropped and Ben Stokes finally fit – before Reece Topley had Quinton de Kock caught behind with the second ball.
That was as good as it got.
Topley went off with an injured finger on his bowling hand after seven overs, Adil Rashid battled admirably through illness for 2-61, only for their problems to deepen when David Willey, one of the three replacements, went down with cramp after 36 overs.
The result was a team that looked utterly frazzled.
The last 10 overs went for 143 runs, including 84 from the final five, as Klaasen and Jansen brutally combined for a partnership of 151 in just 77 balls.
That left England needing to pull off their highest chase in ODIs and the highest by any team at a World Cup – but, faced with a wave of momentum, they did not get close.
Unless they can produce one of the most unlikely turnarounds, their reign as world champions will be over before the tournament really hots up.
Batters blown away
England’s slide started as early as the third over when Jonny Bairstow, having flicked one leg-side six, was caught at fine leg after sending the ball high into the night sky off Lungi Ngidi.
When Joe Root flicked Jansen into the hands of leg slip and Dawid Malan was caught down the leg side on review to start the left-armer’s next over the writing was already on the wall.
Stokes was playing his first match of the tournament after hip injury. Even he could not pull England out of this mess.
He drove straight back to Kagiso Rabada and was caught and bowled for five before 23-year-old seamer Gerald Coetzee nicked off Buttler for 15 and pinned Harry Brook lbw for 17 in the space of three balls.
Wood and Atkinson had some fun in their partnership of 70 in 32 balls.
Wood was dropped on 10 and hit five sixes in his 43, while Atkinson struck seven fours in a 21-ball 35.
But defeat was confirmed when Atkinson was bowled by left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, with Topley not able to bat because of his injury.
Afterwards, England coach Matthew Mott said early indications are Topley has suffered a broken finger and added travelling reserve Jofra Archer will not be considered for selection, with any potential replacement for Topley to be flown in.
Klaasen inflicts carnage
South Africa actually made a careful start after the loss of De Kock by reaching 18-1 off six overs. Reeza Hendricks, who was called in on the morning of the game to replace ill captain Temba Bavuma, took 13 balls to get off the mark.
But the injury to Topley, suffered fielding a drive off his own bowling, proved to be the catalyst, as measured aggression became all-out attack. His next two deliveries were hit for four before Root had to complete the left-armer’s over.
Hendricks struck 85 from 75 balls before being bowled by Rashid as the Proteas reached 200-3 in the 31st over.
Topley eventually returned after lengthy treatment and when he had Aiden Markram caught at deep mid-wicket and David Miller taken at mid-on there was a chance for England to limit the damage.
Klaasen, though, took 21 balls to go from 50 to 100 by crashing anything short and driving high down the ground.
Willey, by now battling the effects of cramp, bowled a waist-high full toss that was thrashed for six while Topley conceded 26 from the 49th and Mark Wood’s seven wicketless overs went for 76.
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