South Africa achieved a historic victory at Lord’s, defeating England by 5 runs in the second ODI to secure their first bilateral ODI series win on English soil in 27 years. Under Temba Bavuma‘s leadership, the Proteas took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, with Matthew Breetzke‘s outstanding 85 contributing to their total of 330.The last time South Africa won an ODI series in England was in 1998, when they defeated Adam Hollioake’s team 2-1. They had since lost four ODI series to England in 2008, 2012, 2017, and 2022 before this current triumph.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The series history between these teams in England shows varied results. South Africa lost the Texaco Trophy in 1994, won it in 1998, faced defeat in the 2008 NatWest Series, drew the 2012 NatWest Series, lost again in 2017, drew in 2022, and now leads the current 2025 series.England’s recent form against South Africa has been concerning, with four consecutive ODI losses. Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, England have struggled in bilateral ODI series, winning just one out of six while South Africa claimed five victories.That said, Bavuma’s captaincy has garnered loads of plaudits of late, especially on the back of their title-winning campaign at the ICC World Test Championship.The recent head-to-head record shows England’s declining performance. They lost by 229 runs in Mumbai 2023, suffered defeats with 125 and 175 balls to spare in Karachi and Leeds 2025 respectively, and now this 5-run loss at Lord’s.The match at Lord’s set a new ODI record with a combined total of 655 runs. Matthew Breetzke and Tristan Stubbs formed a crucial partnership, scoring 58 runs in 101 balls, helping South Africa reach 330 for 8 in their 50 overs.England faced a challenging target, needing to surpass India’s record of 326-8 from 2002, which remains the highest successful chase at Lord’s. Despite their efforts, they fell short against South Africa’s bowling attack, led by Nandre Burger‘s 3/63 and Keshav Maharaj‘s 2/59.This victory margin of 5 runs marks South Africa’s second closest win against England in ODIs, following their one-run victory in Cape Town in 2000. England’s current ODI performance statistics show a win percentage of just 31.8, winning only 7 out of 22 matches, with only Bangladesh and Zimbabwe having lower success rates among full member teams.The final match of the series is scheduled for September 7, with South Africa looking to complete a clean sweep while England aims to salvage pride with a consolation win.
