by Liam Livingstone doubts his maiden ODI century will be enough to keep him fifth in the batting order when England are at full strength.
Filling in for the injured captain Jos Buttler in the Caribbean and with a host of Test stars absent due to a bottlenecked tour schedule before Christmas, Livingstone is hitting harder than usual.
Used to finishing an innings from the sixth or seventh over, Livingstone seized his chance to come early with a stunning 124 off 85 balls to lead England to a series-leveling victory.
After being dropped and then recalled ahead of five ODIs against Australia in September after struggling with form and fitness issues in the previous two years, Livingstone experienced a dizzying change in fortunes.
But with Buttler, along with Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook and potentially others including Jamie Smith, all vying for middle-order places in the future, Livingstone has dismissed the idea that his promotion is permanent.
The 31-year-old said: “I don’t think I’ll ever bat five for England in a one-day cricket match when we have a full squad, I know that.
“This show was an opportunity for me to not only say what I thought, but also try to show people that I mean what I say. I believe in my own abilities and it’s good when others believe in it.
“There are certainly people in the locker room who believe in it. Being in the middle to the end was pretty special.
Livingstone – who averages 70 with the bat over his last seven innings, although aided slightly by three red inkers – shared an instrumental stand of 140 runs with close friend Sam Curran on Saturday.
Curran was also a place or two higher than normal at number six, but justified his elevation and the added responsibility with a run-a-ball 52, only the second time he has recorded an ODI half-century.
A regular at T20, where he bats higher for country and clubs, Curran was also left out of the 50-over squad ahead of the Australia series in September and did not get a reprieve like Livingstone did.
But Livingstone said: “Sam has been one of the best hitters in domestic cricket, T20 and The Hundred batting at three and four. I believe in Sam, I played a lot of cricket with him.
“We’ve been through a lot together and he’s one of my best friends in English cricket. He played beautifully, he was one of the main reasons we won.
Livingstone’s knock in a five-wicket win to play a deciding match in Barbados on Wednesday was poignant as his final trip to the Caribbean for the T20 World Cup in June coincided with a family bereavement.
After reaching his hundred, Livingstone removed and then raised his helmet and looked skyward in tribute to his grandfather Brian and said afterwards: “He will look at me quite proud.” »
It was also a special occasion for 23-year-old fast bowler John Turner, who claimed his first international wickets at the weekend just days after signing a development contract with England.
Turner has been in the England squad for over a year but net training and drinks were his only duties until he went on a rampage in the West Indies on Thursday and he has impressed so far.
“I saw a few things on Twitter, to see if I actually existed and all that kind of stuff,” Turner said with a smile.
By his own admission, Turner has dropped off his speed so far, but he knows he can hit 90mph and add to England’s growing portfolio of speedsters for all formats and conditions.
“I think the whole Pace project, as they call it, is really exciting,” Turner said. “There are a lot of us involved in and around this.
“I’m still very raw, I’m very young, I have a lot to learn and a lot to improve, but this is the best place to learn, you see how small the margins are.”
