March 1, 2025: In a stellar display of bowling prowess, South Africa’s bowlers delivered a dominant performance to restrict England to a modest total of 179 runs in the semi-finals of the 2025 Champions Trophy. The match, held at a packed M Chinnaswamy Stadium, saw the Proteas excel with the ball, creating pressure from the very first over.
England, coming into the match as one of the favorites, were never allowed to settle as South Africa’s bowlers consistently took wickets at regular intervals. The South African seamers, led by Kagiso Rabada, exploited the pitch conditions, providing the perfect balance of pace and swing. Rabada was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3 wickets for 34 runs in his 8 overs, while Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi supported superbly, taking crucial wickets to halt England’s progress.
England’s top order collapsed early, with openers Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan failing to get going. England’s star batter, Joe Root, could not find his rhythm, contributing a mere 28 runs before being dismissed. Only a brief fightback from Ben Stokes, who top-scored for England with a gritty 45 runs, prevented the total from being even lower.
South Africa’s spinners also played their part, with Tabraiz Shamsi proving to be a handful in the middle overs, picking up two key wickets to put England on the back foot. England’s batting line-up struggled to get any momentum, with the Proteas maintaining a stranglehold on the game from start to finish.
At the end of their 50 overs, England had managed to post only 179 runs, a target that seemed well within South Africa’s reach. The Proteas will now look to build on this momentum as they chase down the target in the second innings to seal their place in the final.
With this commanding bowling performance, South Africa has put themselves in a strong position to potentially lift the Champions Trophy, with one final hurdle left to cross.