South Africa has secured a place in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semifinals after a convincing 7-wicket victory over England in their final Group B match on Saturday. With this win, South Africa finished as the Group B winners and advanced to the knockout stage.
England’s Disappointing Campaign
England had a tough tournament, losing all three of their group-stage matches and finishing without earning a single point. They had already suffered defeats against Australia and Afghanistan before this match. Following their disappointing performance in recent ICC events, England captain Jos Buttler has decided to step down from captaincy.
Match Summary
Batting first, England was bowled out for 179 runs in 38.2 overs. Joe Root was their top scorer with 37 runs, while Ben Duckett contributed 24 runs. South Africa’s bowlers delivered an impressive performance, with Wiaan Mulder taking 3 wickets for 25 runs in 7.2 overs and Marco Jansen also picking up 3 wickets for 39 runs in 7 overs. Keshav Maharaj took 2 wickets, while Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi claimed 1 wicket each.
Chasing a target of 180 runs, South Africa reached the total comfortably in 29.1 overs, losing only 3 wickets. Rassie van der Dussen led the chase with an unbeaten 72 runs, while Heinrich Klaasen scored 64 runs. For England, Jofra Archer took 2 wickets, and Adil Rashid took 1 wicket.
Semifinal Scenario
With this win, South Africa finished on top of Group B with 5 points, while Australia, with 4 points, also advanced to the semifinals.
The final Group A match between India and New Zealand on Sunday will determine the semifinal matchups:
- If India wins, they will face Australia in the semifinals.
- If New Zealand wins, then India will play South Africa in the semifinals.
South Africa now moves one step closer to their first-ever ICC Champions Trophy title and will be looking to continue their strong form in the knockout stage.
