England are thrashed by seven wickets as Jos Buttler’s ODI captaincy ends in one other defeat after disastrous Champions Trophy marketing campaign

England flunked their chance to give departing captain Jos Buttler an emotional send-off as their Champions Trophy encounter with South Africa ended in the same manner as the majority that had gone before: resounding defeat.

A little over 24 hours after Buttler announced this would be his 35th and final outing as permanent leader of the one-day team, he left the field at the National Stadium to contemplate being beaten for a 23rd time.

This was also a seventh in succession and, being sealed by seven wickets in double quick time, potentially worst of his tenure – lacking spark, direction and at times heart. No England team has lost more in a row in the past 24 years.

South Africa, missing their own captain Temba Bavuma due to illness, also had to cope with his deputy Aidan Markram being forced from the field with a hamstring twinge, leaving Heinrich Klaasen to stand in during England’s 179 all out.

Klaasen was then there at the end as South Africa made light of batting second on a used pitch.

No one could question the effort of Jofra Archer in claiming another two new-ball wickets, but with Mark Wood nursing a knee injury that could need surgery when he returns home, England lacked a fast bowling foil capable of punching further holes into the chase.

England are thrashed by seven wickets as Jos Buttler’s ODI captaincy came to an end

South Africa’s Lungi Ngidi celebrates after he took the wicket of Buttler

No one could question the effort of Jofra Archer but England lacked a fast-bowling foil

In contrast, Kagiso Rabada, South Africa’s bowling ace, was hardly required to break sweat as his team-mates were rewarded for their discipline, supported by some outstanding catching.

England’s innings developed familiar themes, but was even more calamitous than anything that had gone before this winter.

Phil Salt and Jamie Smith both fell in the power play, as they had done in previous Group B defeats to Australia and Afghanistan, on this occasion both top-edging pulls, taking their respective tallies of balls faced in the competition to 25 and 29.

England’s experiment of sending Surrey wicketkeeper Smith in first wicket down despite him only ever once batting in the position before was crass given what was at stake, and must now be binned.

Salt takes up a million-pound Indian Premier League contract later this month, but his inability to negotiate the new ball in the longer form of limited-overs cricket puts his place in whatever rebuild England undertake in the next few weeks in serious jeopardy.

Buttler’s team recovered from such ropey starts in their fixtures in Lahore, but there were to be no centuries for Ben Duckett and Joe Root here on the same surface upon which South Africa beat the Afghans.

When Duckett prodded back into the hands of Jansen, having been turned round, it brought Harry Brook, the man expected to take over from Buttler with an upgrade from vice-captain, to the crease for a potential rescue act alongside Root.

But Jansen nipped any such idea in the bud when Brook fell to spin for the the third match in a row – a towering hit off slow left-armer Keshav Maharaj hauled in spectacularly over his head on the run by the Proteas giant, charging towards the long-on boundary.

England’s Jamie Overton and Buttler during their side’s defeat against South Africa

Buttler plays a shot as his side were beaten by South Africa in Pakistan

South Africa players celebrate after the wicket of England’s Adil Rashid to end the first innings

The innings’ biggest stand of 62 was then followed by a rare bowled dismissal for Root in the next over, the delivery from Wiaan Muller flicking the pad before knocking back off-stump.

And when Liam Livingstone was suckered by a looping delivery – a comedic way to mark what must be the end for him in this form of international cricket – England were 114 for six.

Twenty-five years ago, England’s Test match win here gained infamy for being sealed in near darkness, but this match appeared set to be a polar opposite, hurtling towards its conclusion before the floodlights were turned on.

However, Buttler’s dogged, boundary-less vigil and another effort from Archer with the bat that put some of his top-order colleagues to shame nullified the prospect.

In keeping with another unwanted trend, however, they fell in consecutive overs and England’s innings was wrapped up with 70 deliveries unused.

The difference between these two sides summed up when the South Africans romped home at the start of the 30th over.