Put into bat, South Africa put up a collective batting performance led by fifties from Matthew Breetzke and Tristan Stubbs.

South Africa put up a commendable batting performance in the second ODI against England at Lord's. Put into bat, the visitors rode on a collective batting effort led by fifties from Matthew Breetzke and Tristan Stubbs to post a healthy total of 330/8 in their allotted 50 overs. Ever since ODI cricket got trimmed to 50-overs-a-side, this is the highest total by a side batting first at Lord's. It means that England will need a historic run chase if they are to keep the series alive.

Back to the game, England wasted a good toss as their new-ball bowlers sprayed the ball around in helpful conditions. Rain and wet outfield delayed the start, meaning that the side bowling first would inevitable get some help early on. That is why skipper Harry Brook opted to bowl but Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse were erratic with the new-ball while only Saqib Mahmood hit the right areas for a reasonable amount of time. The result was South Africa got to 51/0 in the first PowerPlay and successfully negated the toss advantage that England were supposed to have gained.

Aiden Markram (49 off 64) and Ryan Rickelton (35 off 33) continued their good form as an opening pair, adding 73 for the first wicket but England fought back through Adil Rashid and Archer to leave the visitors at 93/3 in quick time. It was a passage of play where Brook would have hoped for his bowlers to create further inroads but Breetzke (85 off 77) and Stubbs (58 off 62) put on a 147-run stand to put South Africa's innings back on track. It was a well-paced partnership with Breetzke initially being the aggressor while Stubbs took his time before switching to top gear. The fact that England's fifth bowler option had to be filled by Will Jacks and Jacob Bethell was what helped Breetzke and Stubbs as the pair took full toll of the weaklings.
Much like the opening stand, this partnership also saw the set batters fall in quick succession. But, Dewald Brevis (42 off 20) and Corbin Bosch (32* off 29) were in no mood to let the advantage slip. They played their shots and Brevis in particular struck a few maximums to ensure that the Proteas would easily go past the 300-run mark. In the end, they finished with 330 and this will take some chasing from England, although chasing teams have had an advantage at Lord's historically.