Heinrich Klaasen on Saturday made a brilliant Cricket World Cup century as South Africa thrashed England by a mammoth 229 runs in Mumbai, India, to leave the champions’ title defense hanging by a thread as they suffered a record defeat in a one-day international (ODI).
Klaasen made 109, despite being repeatedly troubled by a cramp, as South Africa, sent into bat, posted a colossal 399-7 — the highest total conceded by England at this level.
England then collapsed to 68-6 and were 170-9, with 28 overs left, when the match ended, with last man Reece Topley unable to bat following a potentially tournament-ending hand injury acquired while bowling.
Photo: AFP
This crushing loss was England’s heaviest ODI defeat following a 221-run reverse against Australia at Melbourne in 2002.
Klaasen received brilliant support from Marco Jansen in a sixth-wicket stand of 151 in just 77 balls.
Jansen finished on 75 not out — his maiden ODI fifty — having struck three fours and six sixes.
He then followed up with two early wickets in his more familiar role of left-arm quick.
“That 100 is up there with my best ever,” player-of-the-match Klaasen said at the presentation ceremony.
“The conditions were brutal. It’s proper heat and saps the energy out of you,” he added.
Not even Ben Stokes, playing his first game of the tournament, could rescue England this time, with the talisman caught and bowled by Kagiso Rabada for just five.
England’s third defeat in four games, including a shock loss to Afghanistan last time out, left them with a mountain to climb to reach the semi-finals, with skipper Jos Buttler saying: “It leaves us with no room for error.”
“We probably have to win every other game we play from here on, and that’s the situation we’re in,” Buttler said.
Earlier, big-hitting Klaasen struck a six and a four off successive deliveries from fast bowler Mark Wood to complete a 61-ball century.
He was eventually bowled out by Gus Atkinson in the last over, having struck 12 fours and four sixes in total.
A resounding victory was just what South Africa needed after their stunning loss to the Netherlands, a non-Test nation.
“The defeat to the Netherlands was a tough loss, but one defeat does not make a bad team,” said Klaasen. “This was a fantastic performance.”
The Proteas ran riot as they scored 143 off the last 10 overs after losing the toss.
Topley took three wickets but conceded 88 runs in 8.5 overs, with express quick Wood going for 76 in a wicketless seven overs.
“We came here with high hopes, we wanted to play our best cricket, but we were well short of that and were really well beaten in the end,” Buttler said.
The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area. The Kings and Flames were scheduled to play on Wednesday night at the Kings’ downtown arena. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers were scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena last night. “Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our
Doping fears prevented former US Open champion Emma Raducanu from treating insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open, she said, with players increasingly wary about ingesting contaminated substances. The British player was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner. “I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use,” the 22-year-old said, recalling an incident on Friday. “I got really badly bitten by, I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess,” she added. The bites “flared up and swelled up really a
TWO IN A WEEK: Despite an undefeated start to the year playing alongside Jiang Xinyu of China, Wu Fang-hsien is to play the Australian Open with a Russian partner Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien yesterday triumphed at the Hobart International, winning the women’s doubles title at the US$275,094 outdoor hard-court tournament, while McCartney Kessler lifted the trophy in the women’s singles. Fourth-ranked Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu of China took 1 hour, 15 minutes to defeat Romania’s Monica Niculescu and Fanny Stollar of Hungary, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) at the Hobart International Tennis Centre, their second title in a week. Wu and Jiang on Sunday won the women’s doubles title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, beating Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic and Sabrina Santamaria of the US. Their winning ways continued in Australia as they stretched
EL CLASSICO: La Liga champions Real Madrid would face Barcelona in the Super Cup final tomorrow. Barca secured their final spot after a 2-0 win over Bilbao on Wednesday Real Madrid would chase a record-equaling 14th Spanish Super Cup title in the final against Barcelona after second-half goals by Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo helped them to a 3-0 win over Mallorca in the semi-finals on Thursday. England midfielder Bellingham broke the deadlock after the hour mark with a low shot into the middle of the goal before Mallorca defender Martin Valjent’s own goal doubled the lead in stoppage time followed by a Rodrygo strike from close range. Spanish champions Real are to play Barcelona for the trophy tomorrow after goals by Gavi and Lamine Yamal earned Barca a 2-0 win over
RSS