by A masterclass from Liam Livingstone secured England an improbable victory and leveled the series in the West Indies, as the visitors chased down an imposing 329 in Antigua.
Following England’s defeat in the opening match on Thursday, the captain implored his team to “hit smarter”. That’s what he meant, as he pushed it and then powered his way to a career-best and match-winning 124, not out. His first 50 had cost him 60 balls, his second 17.
Facing 329 to win after West Indies captain Shai Hope made a superb 117, England showed the restraint that eluded them on Thursday when they were bowled out for 209, as at the top of the century Livingstone, Phil Salt, Jacob Bethell and Sam Curran all did 50s.
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Livingstone and Curran have joined forces to form a key partnership. With 169 to win from 22 overs and four wickets lost, England were behind the match but not by many miles.
Their 50 partnership came in 47 balls, but they quickly hit the brakes as both looked to take the contest as deep as possible. At one point, they didn’t score a boundary for 34 balls before two came off consecutive deliveries.
This was only the beginning of the assault. West Indies’ total of 328 was an ODI record total at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, and until Jayden Seales delivered the 45th over it looked like it would be enough, before Livingstone bowled 22 off five deliveries.
“There was no moment where I thought the game was out of touch,” said an exhausted Livingstone. “More than anything, I’m happy to have been able to lead from the front.”
Six weeks ago, England dropped Livingstone for the ODIs against Australia before Jos Buttler’s calf injury gave him the chance to return. In an honest conversation with general manager Rob Key, Livingstone said his only complaint was that he felt he hadn’t been given enough responsibility.
“I had two years where I should have done more than I did,” Livingstone said. “But I don’t always think I was given the responsibility I wanted. It’s a two-way thing. I just asked for a little more responsibility. I have always believed in my abilities, especially in one-day cricket.
“People see me as that guy who can come in and hit a few sixes in a T20 innings, but I see myself as being able to hit more twos. I always believed that I could do things the way I did today.
However, this was by no means England’s all-round performance. Their performance on the field was bizarre, as four catches were dropped, sloppy fielding errors were made and harsh words were exchanged between teammates.
For only the second time in England’s history they used nine bowlers in an innings. In theory it was Livingstone who was being proactive, but in reality it seemed confusing. Of England’s four specialist bowlers, Jofra Archer, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid and John Turner, only Rashid bowled his entire allocation, with the remaining three left with seven overs to spare between them.
But where clarity was lacking on the ground, it was present in abundance in the bat.
The winning moment arrived in a flash. With 26 required off 24 balls, Livingstone hit Shamar Joseph for three consecutive sixes and a four to leave two runs required off the last three overs.
A single from Dan Mousley meant that, fittingly, it was Livingstone who hit the winning runs and raised his arms in the air in celebration. He had always asked for more responsibility in the England shirt and today he proved why.
