South Africa secured a berth in the Champions Trophy semifinals by defeating England by seven wickets in Lahore, eliminating Afghanistan in the process. Rassie van der Dusen, who scored 72 off 87 balls, led South Africa with a dominant performance. Van der Dusen’s half-century was central to South Africa’s success, as they maintained their position at the top of Group B with Australia in second and Afghanistan in third. South Africa’s innings concluded with a score of 181-3 in 29.1 overs, in response to England’s total of 179 runs from 38.2 overs. After winning the toss, England, who were already eliminated from the tournament following back-to-back losses, chose to bat but struggled against South Africa’s bowlers. Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder were particularly effective, with Jansen taking 3-39 and Mulder snagging 3-25. England’s batting showed little enthusiasm and interest, highlighted by their dismal 80 runs in the last seven wickets. England’s exit from the tournament and their poor performance also led to captain Jos Buttler stepping down. South Africa’s win means they will face either India or New Zealand, who will compete for the top spot in Group A, in the next stage of the tournament.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2025/3/1/icc-champions-trophy-2025-south-africa-win-ends-afghanistan-hopes?traffic_source=rss