Third ODI, Southampton
England: 414/5 (Bethell 110, Root 100, Buttler 62*, Smith 62, Bosch 2/79, Maharaj 2/61)
South Africa: 72 all out (Bosch 20, Archer 4/18, Rashid 3/13, Carse 2/33)
w England won by 342 runs, SA win the series 2-1
The Proteas have become the masters of falling prey to the dead-rubber ODI syndrome.
Sunday’s world record ODI defeat by 342 runs, in which they were 18/5 at one stage, before being routed for 72 by England at Southampton’s Rose Bowl follows on directly from their last dead-rubber in Australia just over a fortnight ago.
Having won the first two matches of the series Down Under to clinch the trophy, they slumped to a 278-run defeat in Cairns.
They have now eclipsed that performance with an even more pitiful…