Leeds, September 2, 2025: South Africa delivered a commanding performance in the opening match of the Men’s Metro Bank ODI series, thrashing England by seven wickets at Headingley. The match, which lasted just 45.4 overs in total, saw Keshav Maharaj and Aiden Markram emerge as the standout performers.
England, after being put in to bat, collapsed from 82/2 to 131 all out in just 24.3 overs. The Proteas chased down a modest target of 132 in just 20.5 overs, finishing at 137/3, while England were bundled out for 131 in 24.3 overs.
Spinner Keshav Maharaj ripped through the middle order with a four-wicket haul, while Wiaan Mulder added three scalps to compound England’s misery. Jamie Smith’s 54 was the only notable resistance from the hosts.
In response, South Africa chased down the target in just 20.5 overs. Aiden Markram led the charge with a blistering 86 off 55 balls, including 12 boundaries. His aggressive partnership with Ryan Rickelton (31*) set the tone, and Dewald Brevis sealed the win with a six off Adil Rashid.
South Africa now leads the three-match series 1–0 and looks poised to carry forward their winning momentum into the next ODI at Lord’s.
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