South Africa’s Matthew Breetzke, front, leaves the field after England’s Jofra Archer, rear left, took his wicketg during the third ODI series cricket match between England and South Africa, at Utilita Bowl, Southampton, England, Sunday Sept. 7, 2025. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)
England beat South Africa by 242 runs in the third ODI at the Rose Bowl, Southampton. England lost the series after going down in the first two games, but they made South Africa pay every bit in the final ODI. They posted a massive score of 414-5 in 50 overs, courtesy of 110 by Jacob Bethell and 100 by Joe Root. South Africa had batted well in the series, and they were expected to put up some fight, but Jofra Archer was too hot to handle as he single-handedly decimated the Proteas batting.
Archer ended up with figures of 4-18, while Adil Rashid and Brydon Carse picked three and two wickets respectively to hand South Africa one of the most embarrassing defeats.
England Create HistoryThe win helped England create history in ODI cricket. The 342-run win over South Africa is the biggest win in ODI cricket till now. The record was previously held by India, who defeated Sri Lanka by 317 runs in 2023. This is the first time since January 5, 1971, when the first ODI was played, that a team has won an ODI game by more than 340 runs.
Top 10 Biggest Wins In ODI Cricket By RunsFour of the top 10 biggest wins in ODI cricket in terms of runs have come in the last two years.
TeamOpponentMarginYearIndiaSri Lanka3172023AustraliaNetherlands3092023ZimbabweUSA3042023IndiaSri Lanka3022023New ZealandIreland2902008AustraliaSouth Africa2762025AustraliaAfghanistan2752015South AfricaZimbabwe2722010South AfricaSri Lanka2582012IndiaBermuda2572007Meanwhile, this is also the biggest defeat for South Africa in ODI cricket. Their previous worst defeat was against Australia by 276 runs in August earlier this year. South Africa were bowled out in just 20.5 overs, which is the second fewest overs they have batted in an ODI game. This is just a solitary delivery more than the Manchester ODI against England in 2022, when they were bowled out for 83.
Meanwhile, Jofra Archer was given the Man of the Match award for his stunning spell. Archer said he knew it would be a stiff chase given that England had posted over 300 runs on the board. “Even before I bowled a ball, I knew it was going to be difficult, we scored more than 300. I didn’t try to do anything different, just tried to hit the pitch hard and keep it straight. Even if you have a bad day, you have to go out and do it. In the past, there was workload management, I played three games in a row and that means a lot.”