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Liam Livingstone led from the front with a stunning unbeaten century as England chased down 329 to send their ODI series against the West Indies to a decider.
England’s stand-in captain slammed nine sixes and five fours to take the tourists home by five wickets with 15 balls to spare in Antigua to set up a winner-take-all match in Barbados on Wednesday.
After Phil Salt’s run-a-ball 59 and Jacob Bethell’s maiden international half-century, Livingstone made 140 in 111 deliveries alongside Sam Curran to swing the contest firmly in England’s favor.
Curran was dismissed for 52 as many deliveries with 29 still needed from the final 4.3 overs, but Livingstone, with Dan Mousley for company, got the job done to finish on 124 not out from 85 balls.
Livingstone had already raised eyebrows by deploying nine bowlers for only the second time in England’s ODI history, with only wicketkeeper Salt and number three batter Jordan Cox not turning an arm.
Shai Hope anchored the Windies at 328 for six with a fantastic 117 from 127 balls, putting up a restorative stand of 143 with Keacy Carty, before appearances from several of their big hitters.
But his innings was overshadowed by the belligerence of Livingstone, who ensured England chased down a 300-over target in the format for the first time since July 2021.
They also started brightly, as John Turner had the Windies’ first two games in the pavilion after 19 balls, but Bethell, one of three fielders at point, had a half-chance over his head with Carty out of eight.
The Windies rebuilt from 12 for two, with Carty strong square to the wicket and Hope driving fluently, hitting Turner and Adil Rashid then whipping a Bethell drag down for six but otherwise finding the balance between aggression and build-up.
Bethell’s extra bounce took the top of a cut when Hope was at 60, but Salt couldn’t hang on while Turner put Carty at 68, although that didn’t prove as costly as the Windies number three was bowled through the gate by Rashid for 71 off 77 balls.
While England had managed to contain the score until then, the efforts of Carty and Hope allowed Rutherford, followed by Shimron Hetmyer and Matthew Forde, to immediately go into attack mode.
The trio contributed nine of the Windies’ 14 sixes as the hosts collected 174 in the last 20 overs. Rutherford made a sparkling 54 from 36 balls and there were supercharged cameos of 24 from Hetmyer, dropped on three in the deep by Will Jacks, and 23 not out from Forde.
Hope reached a hundred off 118 balls, then dropped Rashid to deep mid-wicket before moving to long-on, but the Windies finished on top as Forde hit three consecutive sixes in Saqib Mahmood’s final over.
England needed a record ground total to level the series, having not chased down more than 300 for almost three and a half years.
While Jacks perished early in the draw, Salt’s timing was impeccable as he backed a solid powerplay total of 58, but Cox had a curious 19-ball stay, hitting just four singles before a no-out. enthusiasm of a vicious Shamar Joseph. the bumper landed in Hope’s gloves.
Salt collected a 42-ball fifty, then amassed nine from his next 17 balls before a premeditated hack at Forde, with Gudakesh Motie doing well to take a steeple, but Bethell rebuilt alongside Livingstone.
Bethell was tipped as a superstar in the making and showed tremendous ability, scoring all around the wicket but particularly strong on the pull, muscling Roston Chase for six to bring up his maiden fifty in an England jersey.
Chase got his revenge when Bethell picked 55, but Livingstone and Curran, the two most experienced campaigners in England’s top six rookies, got to work, doing plenty of hard work early on.
Livingstone found the boundary only three times to reach a 60-ball fifty, but he lit the touchline with a difficult sweep in the 41st over against the unusually expensive Motie, who was deposited twice more in the stands by the Cumbrian.
While Curran was content to hold the fort, Livingstone took 26 from the wayward Jayden Seales before bringing in a 77-ball ton soon after, celebrating with a helmet kiss.
Joseph conceded 24 from what proved to be the penultimate over as three full tosses were bowled for six by Livingstone, who deservedly slotted home the winning run soon after.
