SOUTH AFRICA secured their place in the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 with a seven-wicket win over England in a Group B match in Karachi.
With this victory, they joined Australia in advancing from the group. India and New Zealand have also qualified from Group A, completing the last four teams in the tournament.
The final semi-final line-ups will be decided after India and New Zealand play their last group match on Sunday in Dubai, which will determine the group topper.
The first semi-final is scheduled for Tuesday, 4 March, at the Dubai International Stadium, with India confirmed as one of the teams. The second semi-final will take place on Wednesday, 5 March, at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
South Africa finished at the top of Group B with five points, one more than Australia. Wiaan Mulder (3-25) and Marco Jansen (3-39) bowled out England for 179 in 38.2 overs before South Africa chased the target in 29.1 overs, losing three wickets.
England, already eliminated after losses to Australia and Afghanistan, ended their campaign with another defeat. Their poor run in the tournament saw them fail to make an impact, with captain Jos Buttler stepping down after this match.
India will play their semi-final in Dubai regardless of their position in the group due to political tensions between India and Pakistan. If they qualify for the final, it will be held in Dubai on 9 March; otherwise, the final will be in Lahore.
South Africa’s stand-in captain Aiden Markram praised Jansen’s performance.
"He's (Jansen) been huge for us," said Markram. "We all know in the powerplay, especially in conditions like this, you need to be taking wickets up front. He's been peaking at the right time for us."
England skipper Buttler acknowledged the team's poor performance.
"A really disappointing performance," said Buttler. "We're not going on and making those big, telling contributions, which has been a story of this side for some time now with the bat."
Jofra Archer briefly put England back in the contest, dismissing Tristan Stubbs (0) and Ryan Rickelton (27) at 47-2. However, Rassie van der Dussen and Heinrich Klaasen built a 127-run partnership for the third wicket to ensure South Africa’s victory.
Klaasen scored 64 off 56 balls before falling to Adil Rashid with just five runs needed for victory. David Miller sealed the win with a six. Van der Dussen remained unbeaten on 72 from 87 balls, hitting three sixes and six fours.
Archer finished with figures of 2-55, while Rashid took 1-37.
Earlier, Mulder and Jansen dismantled England’s top order after they opted to bat first. Spinner Keshav Maharaj took 2-35 as England’s batting faltered. Joe Root top-scored with 37.
Jansen removed Phil Salt (8), Jamie Smith (0), and Ben Duckett (24) early. He then took a diving catch off Maharaj’s bowling to dismiss Harry Brook (19), breaking a 62-run fourth-wicket stand with Root.
England lost Root just four runs later when he was bowled by Mulder. Liam Livingstone (9) followed soon after, dismissed by Maharaj. Root’s 44-ball innings included one six and four boundaries.
Buttler (21) and Archer (25) added 42 runs for the eighth wicket, but once Archer fell to Mulder, the last two wickets added only eight more runs.
South Africa played without regular captain Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi due to illness, while Markram briefly left the field with a hamstring issue.
(With inputs from AFP)
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