BOK AND AWE

Brook's boys fall just short as Proteas wrap up series

- NEIL SQUIRES

ENGLAND crashed to back-to-back defeats against South Africa as the Proteas clinched the Metro Bank ODI series with a game to spare.

It was a much-improved England performance - with the bat at least — after the dismal effort at Headingley but what would have been a record run chase in a Lord's ODI - 331 - ultimately proved just beyond them.

England fell five runs short despite half-centuries from Joe Root, Jacob Bethell and Jos Buttler.

It continued England's recent struggles in a form of the game at which they were world champions as recently as 2019. Since the 2023 World Cup England have won seven of their 22 ODIs. Of the 12 Test-playing nations only Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have a worse record.