England vs South Africa, 2nd ODI at London, ENG vs SA, Sep 04 2025 - Match Result

9.43pm So, that is a wrap... the Headingley match was done and dusted at 5.26pm, presentations and all. This one has cracked on significantly longer, but the upshot is the same. South Africa's excellent one-day outfit has now beaten Australia and England away in the space of a fortnight. Throw in the World Test Championship final on this same ground back in June, and it's been a hell of a year for them! We'll be back in Southampton on Sunday, but from Miller, Abhimanyu and Vairavan, good night!

Time for the presentations: The Player of the Match is Matthew Breetkze

"Very happy, tricky at the start, thought a good score was 280. It was a bit of old-school cricket at the start, batsmanship... read the conditions then score at the back end. It's been good so far [five ODI fifties in a row], hope it continues!"

Harry Brook: "They probably got 10-15 too many, but to get within one blow at the end was a good effort. Bethell, we wanted to unsettle their spinners, and keep the left-hand-right-hand combination. We were v unlucky in the powerplay, didn't go our way, but stuck in there nicely. We need minute improvements, early wickets would help."

Temba Bavuma: "Very proud, good game of cricket, the people who came to watch were entertained. More than competitive score, definitely taken that when we were three-down. Breetzke and Stubbs, built his confidence. With the ball Keshav showed his class and our fielding was much better. Bosch gives ability to bowl in and outside powerplay. He gave us a lot of control, particularly in the middle part of the innings. We don't have a lot of options with lots of injuries, but we'll enjoy the victory and go to Southampton to put together the best team possible."

9.28pm And with that, South Africa close out a compelling contest, and seal their first ODI series win in England since 1998! It was all set up by their batting, Breetkze, Brevis, Stubbs, Markram et al, all making key contributions to post a hefty 330 for 8. And despite some feisty batting from Bethell and Buttler, and a typically calm 61 from Root, there was just a touch too much to do at the back-end of the chase, thanks in particular to Corbin Bosch's old-school analysis of 10-1-38-1.

Lungi Ngidi was magnificent too, not least with his brilliant slower ball to confound Buttler, while Keshav Maharaj lived up to his No.1 billing with another key spell of 2 for 59. England have now won just ten ODIs out of 31 since the start of the 2023 World Cup, and seven of 22 in this new cycle. How the mighty are fallen!

Mustafa Moudi : "A few Months Ago, South Africa won first their First ICC Trophy since 1998 and now they have won their first ODI Series against England since 1998. South Africa achieving all milestones they last achieved in 1998, every time they are travelling to England this year !!"

South Africa have missed the cut-off... only four in the deep as the spinner returns

Raff: "England have already hit more 6s than South Africa. Shouldn't we just award England the victory right now b/c of that?" Boundary countback, is it?

"Just don't get out," says Archer

How does Archer play this? Needs at least a boundary, but surely also a single at some stage... Ngidi has left the field, Maphaka is on as a substitute

Saves a run, but keeps the key man on strike, as the last man Mahmood arrives

27 needed... so 13-14 an over... It's not impossible, especially with one over of spin to come

Another connection here, and anything can happen...

DaWolf: "Good batting from Bethell and Jacks, 97 runs. Unfortunately that still leaves them behind the bowling pair of Bethell and Jacks, who conceded 112....."

No need to bowl the spinner now. Back comes Ngidi to put this game safe