Proteas captain Temba Bavuma questioned his side’s attitude after they were thrashed by 342 runs against England in the largest defeat by runs in ODI history on Sunday.
Chasing 415 to complete a clean-sweep of the three-match series, South Africa were bowled out for just 72 in 20.5 ignominious overs in Southampton.
It was the biggest winning margin in the history of the ODI format when batting first, surpassing India’s 317-run victory against Sri Lanka in 2023.
The Proteas narrowly avoided falling short of their lowest ODI total of 69 against Australia in 1993.
England’s previous biggest margin of victory was a 242-run success against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2018.
REPORT: Proteas slump to record defeat
Bavuma admitted South Africa’s sloppy fielding, which included several dropped catches, was emblematic of their woeful performance.
“It’s a downer. We were just poor to be honest, in all departments. Fielding is always about attitude, and looking at our fielding and some of the catches you could question where our attitude is,” he said.
“With the ball at some point something went horribly wrong. The extras as well with the ball, far from ideal.
“With the bat it was always going to be tough, and their bowlers really put us under pressure. We didn’t have a chance.
“To sum it up, a poor game of cricket from us.”
HIGHLIGHTS: England vs Proteas (3rd ODI)
The Proteas had won the first two games of the three-match series, but Bavuma insisted lack of motivation was not a factor in their embarrassing surrender.
“I think as an international sportsman you can’t use that as an excuse. Every game you’re playing for your country. There have been changes within our team with players rested so our depth has been tested,” he said. “For those guys it shows how much of a step up it is for international cricket.
“We have conversations about our depth and when premium players aren’t there, because it takes a squad to go and win trophies.”
Although South Africa’s astonishing collapse will take a while for Bavuma to process, he took heart from their overall form.
The ODI series win against England came after victory against Australia in the same format recently.
“We are moving forward, we are taking positive strides forward, the team is shaping up nicely,” Bavuma said. “I think looking at the way we were against Australia, we are starting to answer those question marks about our team.”
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Philip Brown/Getty Images
