Sir Alastair Cook welcomed Liam Livingstone’s “saintly” knock after the England captain hit his maiden ODI century against the West Indies to level the series and set up the decider.
Livingston, who missed the one-day international against Australia in September before playing in the T20s, was later appointed as interim skipper due to Jos Buttler’s calf injury, and led his side to victory with an unbeaten 124 from 85 balls on Saturday. Yes.
The tourists were criticized for failing to convert a good start as they suffered an eight-wicket loss to the hosts in the opening match at the Vivian Richards Stadium on Thursday (Livingstone top-scored with 48).
“Fair play to him (Livingston), he was under a bit of scrutiny and pressure after the game on Thursday,” former England captain Cook told TNT Sports.
“It was a mature knock, really good, 46 off 57 balls, so different from what we normally see from Livingston.
“He went up and down the gears and was keen to be there until the end, which was brilliant. The last 78 runs came off 28 balls. That’s an incredible force.”
“If you have guys like (Harry) Brook, (Joe) Root and (Ben) Duckett who aren’t in this team and you finish Livingstone in fifth place, that’s a dangerous 50-over top order.
“He got the opportunity to lead your country and it is a great honor. He will go to bed satisfied. It was only after he was eliminated that he started batting at number five.
“There are not many places he can hide the ball. Not many players have the ability to hit sixes in a row. He is a player who hits the ball accurately, with great skill and clarity, without preparing in advance.”
Adil Rashid took two wickets as West Indies set up England for a 329 win.
Cook was also full of praise for the character of Livingstone’s team-mates as they bounced back from a heavy defeat to keep the series alive, with Jacob Bethell, Phil Salt and Sam Curran also hitting fifties.
He added: “We were poor on Thursday but everyone was strong today. Salt played well and the pitch suited him because the ball was coming to him. He loves it.”
“I’ve been impressed with Bethell’s maturity. He’s adapted to the tempo really well. These guys are built on T20 cricket and The Hundred. In 50-over cricket, there’s a lot more time to absorb the pressure.”
Livingstone said he was enjoying cricket again.
After his knock, Livingston said England wanted to take risks and strengthen his side’s attacking mentality.
“There were things in practice towards the end of the summer in England where I felt I had done my best,” Livingston said. TNT Sports.
“It’s just that I’ve matured a little bit, know my game pretty well and started enjoying cricket again. At the end of the day, that’s the most important thing – playing well when you’re having fun.”
“We wanted to take a risk early on. I worked on myself and then set it up towards the end and targeted their death bowling. It ended up working perfectly.
“Curran played beautifully. I knew I could trust him because I hit a lot with him. We needed someone to score big and that’s what we did today.
“I think we did a good job with the ball. Overall, it was a pretty good team performance and we got back in the series.”
West Indies vs England Schedule (Always England and Ireland)
- First ODI: Antigua – West Indies win by 8 wickets (DLS)
- Second ODI: Antigua – England wins by 5 wickets
- Third ODI: Barbados – Wednesday 6 November (6pm)
- First T20: Barbados – Saturday, November 9 (8pm)
- Second T20: Barbados – Sunday, November 10 (8pm)
- Third T20: Saint Lucia – Thursday 14 November (8pm)
- Fourth T20: Saint Lucia – Saturday 16 November (8pm)
- Fifth T20: Saint Lucia – Sunday 17 November (8pm)
Follow the West Indies white-ball tour throughout England sky sports‘ A digital platform with live blogs and reports. The third and final one-day international takes place in Barbados on Wednesday (6pm UK and Ireland start).
