South Africa claimed an unassailable 2-0 lead in their ODI series against England following a dramatic five-run win at Lord’s.

Matthew Breetzke’s 85 and a quickfire 42 off 20 balls from Dewald Brevis helped the Proteas set a target of 330, which was just beyond the reach of England despite half-centuries from Joe Root, Jacob Bethell and Jos Buttler.

England reduced South Africa to 93-3 in 19 overs, but a 147-run partnership between Breetzke and Tristan Stubbs (58) allowed the visitors to put on a big finish to their innings.

Brevis smashed three fours and three sixes to further accelerate the tourists' scoring, with England set a daunting target despite strong efforts from Jofra Archer (4-62) and Adil Rashid (2-33).

The Proteas made the perfect start with the ball when Jamie Smith (zero) edged Nandre Burger’s (3-63) first delivery through to Ryan Rickleton behind the stumps.

Root (61) steadied England’s chase while Bethell (58) helped decrease the required run rate with some powerful strikes.

However, they were removed in successive overs by Corbin Bosch (1-38) and Keshav Maharaj (2-59) respectively, before Buttler’s 61 off 51 set up a grandstand finish.

England required 16 off the final over after Burger picked up the wickets of Will Jacks (39) and Brydon Carse (seven), and Senuran Muthusamy (1-61) held his nerve against Jofra Archer (27 not out) to secure victory.

463 - @ProteasMenCSA's Matthew Breetzke has scored 463 runs from his first five men's ODIs, the most by any batter in the format; he has also become the first player to score 50+ runs in each of his first five innings in the format (150, 83, 57, 88, 85). Breezy.#ENGvSA pic.twitter.com/qf5fRlHJkk

— OptaJim (@OptaJim) September 4, 2025

Data Debrief: Breetzke’s historic start to ODIs

On their way to winning their first ODI series in England since 1998, Temba Bavuma’s side scored the highest total in a 50-over match at Lord’s.

Breetzke has become the first player to score a half-century in each of his first five ODIs for South Africa, while his 463 runs in the format are the most of any player in their first five matches.

England, meanwhile, have now lost five of their six bilateral ODI series since the 2023 World Cup.