Liam Livingstone’s exceptional, undefeated knock of 95 propelled England to a convincing 79-run victory over New Zealand during the second one-day International match in Southampton on Sunday.
England, starting their World Cup title defense against New Zealand in Ahmedabad on October 5, found themselves in dire straits at 8-3 due to a rain-shortened match of 34 overs per side. Their struggle continued at 55-5 in the 13th over until Livingstone stepped up to the crease.
Livingstone’s remarkable innings transformed England’s situation, propelling them to 226-7. Subsequently, New Zealand was dismissed for a modest 147, resulting in the series being leveled at 1-1. Reece Topley, ending a long wait of over a year for an ODI wicket with his figures of 3-27, and the left-arm quick David Willey (3-34) were the stars with the ball.
In his 100th ODI, New Zealand’s Trent Boult, playing for the first time in nearly a year, claimed the initial three wickets of England, removing Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, and Ben Stokes.
Livingstone’s exceptional ODI performance not only bolstered England’s total but also strengthened his chances of making the final 15-man World Cup squad. Sam Curran played a crucial role, contributing 42 runs and forming a vital sixth-wicket partnership of 112 runs in 77 balls with Livingstone.
England effectively maintained their momentum during New Zealand’s innings. Pacers David Willey and Gus Atkinson secured the first two wickets within the opening two overs of the match. New Zealand’s fortunes dwindled after the 20th over due to Reece Topley’s brilliant burst, during which he claimed three wickets (Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, and Rachin Ravindra) in just seven balls, firmly placing the game in England’s hands.
New Zealand could not last the full 34 overs and were bowled out for a mere 147 runs in 26.5 overs. Livingstone was rightfully named the player of the match for his unbeaten 95 runs. Daryl Mitchell kept the game running with a half-century but Reece Topley burst through New Zealand’s middle order with three wickets in the space of two of his overs, and there wasn’t to be any tail-end resistance
In his post-match conference, Livingstone acknowledged the depth in England’s batting lineup and expressed his satisfaction in slowly reaching his best form.
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