ENG vs SA: Will Joe Root go past AB de Villiers on this list during ODI series?

August 27, 2025 Credit: Getty

Golden chance for Root

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England batters' lack of dominance vs South Africa

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Jacques Kallis

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Hashim Amla

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Quinton de Kock

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AB de Villiers

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Graeme Smith

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Root's tally vs SA in ODIs

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Root's ODI numbers

[{"selector":"#anim-0fc5bbae-9707-4445-b30d-ff8fbf7bbc2e","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-eb601bef-ec60-47e0-9e4c-6eb730db2cf0","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 98.97499%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6f15903f-8a14-44c7-9233-d766acc71d20","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1a5c0f4d-4e45-4e8b-9fb8-8110a5995823","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -637.2222%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e329ca8e-5bf9-4a0a-8046-f81756aa30a0","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-43b8bbc5-23c2-4e67-954b-1c0943b05733","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 114.16980%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3f43a92c-6538-44b7-ba5e-680e4f120117","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-cf1275e2-605a-481b-a8cb-f0096a76c22f","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-360deg) translate3d(0px, 882.93745%, 0) rotate(360deg)","rotate(-360deg) translate3d(0px, 0px, 0) rotate(360deg)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-2a991266-1811-4ae0-9d2f-63e9d83a2066","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":1200,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ac1cca69-8321-45b7-8b94-c4adfec9eaf5","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-360deg) translate3d(0px, 257.63847%, 0) rotate(360deg)","rotate(-360deg) translate3d(0px, 0px, 0) rotate(360deg)"]},"delay":1200,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Joe Root is currently England's leading run-scorer in ODIs. He has 7,126 runs from 180 ODIs at an average of 49.14, including 18 centuries and 42 fifties. Credit: Getty

Clash of big teams

[{"selector":"#anim-f3f25c47-5c85-41a9-b45d-4df7212a7f28","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-efab8070-201c-49ca-8ce0-b20760d4fe5d","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 98.97499%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a5f1322c-4bd3-4616-9ba4-00587ce1d3e7","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-cee5f7e8-838e-45bd-a206-d9790702cec9","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -637.2222%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-934f5faa-9adf-4620-a22f-a815aaf67378","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ae2b1cd4-c873-435f-8a7a-72ab34e58c89","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 138.92668%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-5a7e9608-e1de-419a-8f5c-40bd2a410d9f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-8d0842fa-2b8d-490c-ac7e-5c91029a7ef9","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-360deg) translate3d(0px, 882.93745%, 0) rotate(360deg)","rotate(-360deg) translate3d(0px, 0px, 0) rotate(360deg)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4adbfcc2-0002-424d-8840-5aaa542ea01f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":1200,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d6206f7e-f258-42e6-938f-dc96c51795f3","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-360deg) translate3d(0px, 238.88876%, 0) rotate(360deg)","rotate(-360deg) translate3d(0px, 0px, 0) rotate(360deg)"]},"delay":1200,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] The three-ODI series between England and South Africa will begin on September 2 at Headingley, Leeds. Credit: Getty

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