England’s torturous white-ball winter ended with a whimper in Jos Buttler’s swansong as captain as they were humbled by South Africa to exit the Champions Trophy with three defeats from three.
Back-to-back Group B defeats to Australia and Afghanistan sealed an early exit and Buttler’s fate but England were unable to rouse themselves for his send-off in Karachi, all out for 179 in 38.2 overs.
A flaccid batting display was largely to blame for a seven-wicket loss, their 10th in 11 matches since Brendon McCullum expanded his head coach role to take in the limited-overs teams, as well as Tests.
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Joe Root top-scored with 37 while Buttler’s 21 off 43 balls when he was left with the lower-order for company typified England’s struggles in a seventh straight ODI defeat, their worst run since 2006.
A black cat occasionally prowling the outfield in the reply symbolised England’s misfortune, with South Africa rarely troubled because of a meagre target despite Jofra Archer bowling both openers.
Rassie van der Dussen clubbed an unbeaten 72 off 87 balls, with Heinrich Klaasen belting 64 from 56 deliveries, to guarantee South Africa topped the group and Buttler’s reign ended in sorry fashion.
A day after announcing his resignation as ODI and T20 skipper, Buttler won the toss but watched on helplessly as Marco Jansen snared Phil Salt, Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett to leave England 37 for three.
Root was dropped on three but he and captain-in-waiting Harry Brook put on a restorative 62 either side of the powerplay.
It was a false dawn, though, as Brook tried something similar off Keshav Maharaj but the ball hung in the air long enough for Jansen to sprint 30 metres and complete a sensational catch in the deep.
Wiaan Mulder then bowled Root and when the situation called for circumspection with England teetering, Liam Livingstone’s injudiciousness came to the fore.
The Cumbrian has had several ugly dismissals recently and seemingly lost patience here as he charged at Maharaj recklessly, missing a swipe and was stumped.
Buttler and Archer stitched together a risk-free 42-run partnership, shining a harsh light on some of the earlier slapdash dismissals from those above them, to get England past 150.
Both perished to fielders inside the 30-metre circle, with Buttler the penultimate man out after being unable to land much of a glove on South Africa.
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Archer started the reply with a 10-ball first over after sending down four wides in his first six balls to Ryan Rickelton although he made amends with a lifter that Tristan Stubbs gloved on to his stumps.
Saqib Mahmood put down a difficult caught-and-bowled chance to reprieve Rickleton on 16 but the opener was bowled neck-and-crop after being beaten for pace by Archer, having added 11 more to his total.
Klaasen was always likely to be tougher to dislodge and, having taken England apart at the 2023 World Cup in Mumbai, immediately warmed to his task by punching Archer through the covers.
With Van der Dussen in his slipstream, Klaasen, the only batter in history who possesses a 40-plus average with a strike-rate north of 115 from a minimum of 50 innings, found boundaries almost at will.
Archer bowled seven overs in a row at the start but the South Africa pair hardly offered a sniff, with Jamie Overton’s denied run-out of Van der Dussen at the non-striker’s end the closest they came.
Overton was adamant the ball touched his right boot in his follow through but replays were inconclusive so Van der Dussen, on 26, was given the benefit of the doubt, leaving the bowler incensed.
Klaasen brought up a fifth successive fifty-plus score in ODIs before being joined by Van der Dussen, who upped the ante by clubbing Rashid, twice, and Livingstone, once, for straight sixes.
Klaasen skewed Rashid to end a 127-run stand but David Miller heaved his second ball for six as South Africa got over the line in the 30th over. They will face India or New Zealand in the semi-finals.