London, Sep 5 (AP) South Africa secured the ODI series victory against England with one match to spare, clinching a narrow five-run win in the second match at Lord's.
Matt Breetzke was the star performer for the Proteas, marking a record-breaking performance by scoring 85. Replacing the unwell Wiaan Mulder, Breetzke etched his name in history, becoming the first player in ODI cricket to score at least a half-century in each of his first five matches, as per ESPNcricinfo.
The 26-year-old's 77-ball innings complemented Aiden Markram's 49 and Tristan Stubbs' 58, guiding South Africa to post a formidable 330-8 in their allotted 50 overs. "It was a more than competitive score. I definitely would have taken that when we were three wickets down," remarked Proteas captain Temba Bavuma.
England, having suffered a collapse to 131 in the first match at Headingley, performed significantly better this time. Despite a tough start with Jamie Smith falling in the first over, the hosts showed resilience. The match went down to the wire, with England needing 16 runs off the final over. Jofra Archer's valiant effort of 27 off 14 balls nearly pulled off a remarkable chase, but England ended just short with 325-9.
Earlier, Jacob Bethell's lively 58-ball 40 and a partnership of 77 runs with Joe Root (61 off 72 balls) provided England a fighting chance. After them, Jos Buttler added quickfire 61 from 51 deliveries before his dismissal by a clever slower ball from Lungi Ngidi.
Will Jacks kept up the pressure by hitting two sixes, but was one of the casualties in the crucial 47th over bowled by Nandre Burger, who finished with figures of 3-63. Archer's late fireworks, which included two fours and two sixes, were not enough as the South Africans once again came out on top at Lord’s. England captain Harry Brook acknowledged, “They probably got 10, 15 too many, but to get within one blow of their score, I thought was a good effort.”
The third and final ODI of the series is scheduled for Sunday at Southampton.
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