England created history in Southampton on Sunday. The hosts defeated South Africa by 342 runs in the third ODI. It was the biggest victory margin in men’s One-Day International cricket when batting first. The record broke India’s 317-run win over Sri Lanka in 2023.
England batted first and scored 414 for 5. This was their highest total against South Africa in ODIs. The innings was led by 21-year-old Jacob Bethell. He smashed his first international hundred. Bethell scored 110 runs and became the second-youngest Englishman to score an ODI century. David Gower remains the youngest with two hundreds before turning 22.
South Africa’s bowlers had no answers to England’s batting. The total also marked the fourth time South Africa conceded 400-plus runs in ODIs. Only West Indies have suffered this more times.
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South Africa needed 415 to win and avoid a series whitewash. But their batting collapsed badly. They were all out for just 72 runs in 20.5 overs. This was their second-lowest ODI total. Their all-time low remains 69 against Australia in 1993 at Sydney.
The performance also marked their fourth-lowest total against England. The innings ended only one ball longer than their shortest ODI effort, 83 all out in 20.4 overs against England in Manchester in 2022.
Jofra Archer was the star with the ball. His fiery pace destroyed the South African top order. Once the early wickets fell, the visitors could not recover.
This defeat came just two weeks after South Africa’s heaviest ODI loss at the time. On August 24, 2025, they lost by 276 runs to Australia in Mackay. Now, they have lost by an even bigger margin, making it their worst defeat ever.
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England, on the other hand, showed their dominance. They have now crossed the 400-run mark seven times in ODIs. Only South Africa have done it more often, with eight totals above 400.
The result gave England a 3-0 series win. For South Africa, it was a painful reminder of their recent struggles in one-day cricket.
