England hopes fading after South Africa thrashing

At the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in Mumbai, the South African team scored a total of 399 runs in 50 overs. Klaasen made 109 runs in 67 balls and Jansen scored an unbeaten 75 in 42 balls. The England team could only manage to score 170 runs in 22 overs with Wood scoring 43 not out in 17 balls and Atkinson making 35 runs in 21 balls. It was a huge win for South Africa by 229 runs. You can find the scorecard and table for more details.

England's chances of retaining their World Cup title are in a very precarious position following a devastating defeat by South Africa in Mumbai by a margin of 229 runs.

It is possible for the current world champions to make it to the semi-finals, but they will most likely need to emerge victorious in all their remaining five group matches to ensure their qualification.

During one of their most devastating losses, England battled with sickness and injury while playing in extremely hot conditions. The Proteas were able to score a total of 399-7, the highest number of runs England has ever allowed in a 50-over match.

England was completely out of control as Heinrich Klaasen smashed a hundred off just 61 balls and Marco Jansen scored 75 runs off 42 balls.

After struggling in the game, England's hitters were then easily defeated in a worsening evening.

With a score of 68-6 followed by 100-8, it was a close call for a complete devastation. It was only through the persistent efforts of Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson that they were able to slightly lessen the embarrassing margin of loss.

Despite this, it is their biggest ever score in the one-day international cricket, as Jos Buttler's team were dismissed for 170 runs in just 22 overs.

The team is struggling to win against Sri Lanka on Thursday, and if they lose their upcoming matches against India and Australia, their chances of winning the campaign will come to an end.

"England Crushed In Scorching Weather"

England needed a significant victory to revive their campaign entering this match.

Instead, it has been left in a pitiful state following one of their worst performances on this platform.

They called heads and made some substitutions - Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, and Liam Livingstone were all removed while Ben Stokes was finally healthy. Then, Reece Topley managed to get Quinton de Kock out by having him caught behind with the second ball.

That was the best it could possibly be.

Topley had to leave the game due to an injury on his bowling hand after bowling for seven overs. Adil Rashid showed great determination by playing even though he was sick, and he managed to get 2-61. However, things got worse for the team when David Willey, who was one of the substitutes, got cramps after playing for 36 overs.

The outcome was a group that appeared completely frazzled.

In the last 10 overs of the game, the team managed to score 143 runs, with 84 of those being scored in the final five overs. Klaasen and Jansen worked together excellently and their partnership resulted in a total of 151 runs in just 77 balls.

This meant that England had to achieve their biggest chase in ODIs and the biggest in a World Cup by any team. However, they were unable to accomplish this due to an overwhelming momentum working against them.

Unless they create a truly incredible comeback, they will lose their world champion title before the tournament heats up.

The downfall of the England team began soon after the third over when Jonny Bairstow hit a six on the leg-side, but unfortunately got caught at fine leg by Lungi Ngidi after hitting the ball high up into the night sky.

As soon as Joe Root hit Jansen's delivery straight into the hands of the leg slip and Dawid Malan was caught on review due to the left-arm bowler's next over, it was clear that things were not looking good.

Stokes participated in his debut game of the tournament following a hip injury. Nonetheless, his performance was insufficient to salvage England from their dire situation.

Kagiso Rabada caught and bowled him for five runs, and then the young 23-year-old seamer Gerald Coetzee caught Buttler for 15 runs and took down Harry Brook with an lbw for 17 runs all in just three balls.

Wood and Atkinson had a great time together while playing as partners. They scored 70 runs in just 32 balls.

During the match, 10, Wood managed to hit five sixes in a 43, and Atkinson achieved seven fours in just 21 balls, resulting in a score of 35.

However, the team accepted their loss as definite when Atkinson was knocked out by the left-handed spinner, Keshav Maharaj. Unfortunately, Topley couldn't step up to bat due to his injury.

Later, Matthew Mott, the coach of England stated that it seems like Topley's finger is broken. He also mentioned that Jofra Archer, who was on standby, will not be chosen. Instead, they will fly in a new player to replace Topley.

South Africa made a slow but cautious beginning after losing De Kock, scoring 18 runs for one wicket in the first six overs. Reeza Hendricks, who was brought in to replace the unwell captain Temba Bavuma on the day of the match, took 13 deliveries to score his first run.

However, Topley's injury, which occurred while he was fielding a drive off his own bowling, sparked a shift towards more aggressive play. The two deliveries that followed were both hit for fours, prompting Root to take over Topley's over.

Hendricks hit 85 runs in 75 balls and was bowled out by Rashid. The South African team had reached a score of 200-3 by the 31st over.

After undergoing prolonged treatment, Topley made a comeback and managed to catch Aiden Markram at deep mid-wicket and took David Miller at mid-on. This presented an opportunity for England to restrict the harm.

However, Klaasen required 21 deliveries to move from a score of 50 to 100, as he struck any short balls and hit them high down the field.

Willey was experiencing cramps and threw a full toss that was hit for six. Topley allowed 26 runs during the 49th inning, while Mark Wood did not take any wickets and gave up 76 runs in seven overs.

'Totally Outplayed' - Our Response

The South African batter, Heinrich Klaasen, declared that his hundred was among his most outstanding achievements. He mentioned how challenging the weather conditions were.

Losing to the Netherlands was a difficult setback, but a solitary loss does not indicate an inferior squad. The team's exhibition was remarkable.

The England captain, Jos Buttler, expressed his deep disappointment with his team's performance, stating that they had arrived with great expectations, hoping to play their best cricket. However, they fell far short of their goals and were ultimately soundly defeated. Buttler suggested that they may have made a mistake in choosing to field first in the hot weather and that batting first may have been the better option.

We don't have any space for mistakes. It seems like we will need to emerge victorious in all the remaining matches we participate in.

South Africa's temporary captain, Aiden Markram, commented on the team's impressive collective display. He praised the team's ability to rebound from their loss to the Netherlands and highlighted the tremendous effort and skill demonstrated on the field. In summary, it was a remarkable performance from the team.

The coach of England's cricket team, Matthew Mott, chatted with Sky Sports about their recent game. He expressed that the night was quite challenging, mainly because the weather ended up being hotter than expected. Despite having a successful start during the powerplay, the team eventually lost control of the game.

They completely dominated us and executed their strategy flawlessly.