Maharaj stars as South Africa crush England in ODI opener

LEEDS,England: Keshav Maharaj produced a superb spell of spin bowling to take 4-22 as South Africa thrashed England by seven wickets in the first one-day international at Headingley on Tuesday.

Put in to bat, England appeared in control at 82-2 after 14 overs but collapsed dramatically, losing their last eight wickets for just 49 runs to be dismissed for 131. Poor shot selection plagued the innings, with only Jamie Smith showing resistance as he struck a brisk 54 from 48 balls.

South Africa, however, demonstrated the ease of the conditions with the bat. Aiden Markram smashed 86 off 55 deliveries in a blistering display, adding 121 runs for the opening wicket with Ryan Rickelton (31 not out). The Proteas cruised home in under 20 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

“It was not a great start to the series, just one of those bad days,” admitted England captain Harry Brook. “We couldn’t get a partnership together. Credit to them, they bowled nicely. We need to move on quickly.”

The teams meet again at Lord’s on Thursday, before switching to a three-match T20I series beginning on September 10.