200-plus ODI totals for South Africa after this collapse
In a thrilling encounter, India defeated South Africa by 17 runs in the first ODI of a three-match series in Ranchi. The match witnessed Virat Kohli's brilliant century and Kuldeep Yadav's four-wicket haul. Chasing a daunting target of 350 runs, South Africa lost three wickets for just 11 runs, but later put up a strong fight. Here we look at the instances of SA crossing the 200-run mark in ODIs despite losing three wickets for 15 for fewer.
332 from 11/3 vs India, 2025
South Africa's innings in the aforementioned game got off to a disastrous start with Harshit Rana striking twice in his first over. Arshdeep Singh added to their troubles by dismissing Aiden Markram, leaving the visitors reeling at 11/3. However, half-centuries from Matthew Breetzke (72), Marco Jansen (70), and Corbin Bosch (67) helped them recover. The team eventually folded for 332 runs in 49.2 overs despite this valiant fightback.
215/10 from 10/3 vs Ireland, 2024
In a similar vein, SA faced an early collapse against Ireland in the Abu Dhabi clash last year. In a chase of 285, they were reeling at 10/3 before the middle and lower order batters stepped up. While Jason Smith made 91, Kyle Verreynne (38) was the only other batter to score over 30. Despite their efforts, South Africa were bundled out for 215, having survived 46.1 overs.
212/5 from 7/3 vs Zimbabwe, 1997
The first ever instance on this list dates way back to 1997. It was the centurion clash against Zimbabwe, where SA were given a target of 212 runs. The start was a horrendous one as the hosts lost three wickets with just seven runs on the board. However, fifties from Daryll Cullinan (73) and skipper Hansie Cronje (87*) meant SA (212/5) prevailed in 46.1 overs.