England National Cricket Team campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 ended on a sour note, as they suffered a 7-wicket defeat to South Africa National Cricket Team in Jos Buttler’s final match as captain. The match played at the National Stadium in Karachi saw England bow out of the tournament without a win with South Africa comfortably chasing down the target of 180.

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Opting to bat first England struggled against South Africa’s disciplined bowling, managing just 179 runs in 38.2 overs. Joe Root top-scored with 37 runs while Ben Duckett showed some fight with a gritty knock. However England’s middle-order collapse prevented them from posting a competitive total.

In response South Africa’s batting lineup displayed a clinical performance. Rassie van der Dussen anchored the chase with an unbeaten 72 and Heinrich Klaasen’s quickfire 64 ensured South Africa comfortably reached the target.

Jos Buttler Bids Farewell as England's Captain After Loss to South Africa in ICC Champions Trophy 2025

After the match, Buttler expressed his disappointment at England’s performance. “It was really a disappointing performance. We were short of our mark today, so really disappointing. Duckett got us into a nice position, but we couldn’t take advantage of that,” Buttler said.

He also spoke about the challenges England faced as a team during the tournament. “As a whole group, we are not getting the results, and that takes away the confidence from us. There’s no doubt, the talent is there, and we have all the elements to put together a great side,” he added.

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Reflecting on his captaincy tenure, Buttler said, “It was a fantastic time to be a World Cup-winning captain, and that was my best day in my captaincy tenure. Joe [Root] has been a shining light and a great example for us. Hopefully, I can follow in his footsteps now that I step away from the captaincy.”