South Africa defeated England by just five runs in a high-scoring thriller at Lord’s on Thursday to secure an unassailable 2-0 lead in their three-match one-day international series. The victory was built on a record-breaking innings from Matthew Breetzke, whose 85 runs made him the first batsman in ODI history to begin his career with five consecutive scores of fifty or more. His partnership of 147 with Tristan Stubbs (58) rescued South Africa from a precarious 93-3 and propelled them to an imposing total of 330-8.
England, humiliated after being skittled for 131 in the series opener at Leeds, mounted a fierce chase that pushed the match to the final over. Half-centuries from Joe Root (61), Jos Buttler (61), and Jacob Bethell (58) kept the hosts in contention. The combined total of 655 runs set a new record for an ODI at the historic Lord’s ground, ensuring a nail-biting finish.
The match came down to the last over, with England starting at 313-9 and needing 16 runs to win. Tailender Jofra Archer, finishing on 27 not out, struck two fours off spinner Senuran Muthusamy to give the home crowd hope. However, it wasn’t enough, and England finished agonizingly short on 325-9, handing South Africa another memorable victory at the ‘Home of Cricket’ following their World Test Championship triumph there in June.
The win was sealed by a strong bowling performance from South Africa, led by fast bowler Nandre Burger who took 3-63. For Breetzke, the match was a personal triumph; he was only playing as an injury replacement for Tony de Zorzi, who suffered a hamstring injury in the first match. His consistent performance at the top of the order has now etched his name into the cricket record books.
