Sir Alastair Cook hailed Liam Livingston’s “coming of age” after the England skipper hit his maiden ODI century against the West Indies to level the series and set up a decider.
Livingstone, who was dropped for September’s one-day internationals against Australia before playing in the T20s, has since been appointed as skipper following Jos Buttler’s calf injury and led his side to victory on Saturday with an unbeaten 124 off 85 balls.
The tourists were unable to convert their good start in an eight-wicket (DLS method) defeat to the hosts at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Thursday, besting Livingstone for 48.
However, their five-wicket win on Saturday showed they had learned their lessons and former captain Cook praised Livingstone’s resilience.
“Fair play to him (Livingstone). He was under a little bit of scrutiny and pressure after Thursday’s game,” Cook told TNT Sports.
“It was an adult knock. It was absolutely brilliant, 46 from 57 balls, so different from what we usually see from Livingston.
“He went up and down with speed and to have the hunger to be there at the end was great. The last 78 runs came off 28 balls. It’s some strange power.
“If you’ve got guys who aren’t in this team like (Harry) Brook, (Joe) Root, (Ben) Duckett and Livingston at No.5, that’s a dangerous over-50 order.
“He had the opportunity to lead your country and it is a great honor. He will go to sleep satisfied. It wasn’t until after he fell that he started hitting No. 5.
“There’s not a lot of places you can hide the ball in front of him. Not many players can hit three sixes. He doesn’t prejudge, he reacts with great skill and clarity to hit the ball so clearly.”
Adil Rashid took two wickets as West Indies beat England by 329
Cook was also full of praise for the character shown by Livingston’s team-mates in coming back from their heavy defeat to keep the streak alive.
“They were poor on Thursday but everyone played hard today. (Phil) Salt played well and the pitch suited him when the ball hit him. He likes it.
“I’ve been impressed with (Jacob) Bethel’s maturity. He has mastered the tempo very well. These guys are made on T20 cricket and The Hundred. In 50-over cricket, you have a lot more time to take the pressure off.”
On the balance of England’s bowling attack, Cook added:
“I don’t think you should use nine bowlers, but (Michael) Pepper can come in. However, I don’t think anyone deserves to be left out after that performance.
“I think England will go for the same side (for the final ODI).
Livingstone said he is back to enjoying cricket again
After his knock, Livingstone said England were willing to take risks and reinforced his team’s attacking mentality.
“There were some things I did in practice at the end of the summer in England where I felt like I was getting back to my best,” Livingston said. TNT Sports.
“Just maturing a bit and knowing my game quite well and enjoying cricket again. At the end of the day, that’s the main thing, I play well when I enjoy it.
“We wanted to take risks early. I tried to pull myself up and then settle it all the way down and target their death bowling. In the end, it turned out great.
“(Sam) Curran played great. I’ve done a lot of beating with him so I knew I could trust him. We needed someone to score big and that’s what we did today.
“I think we were great with the ball as well. All in all, a pretty good team performance and we’re back on track.”
West Indies v England Fixtures (All Time Great Britain & Ireland)
- First ODI. Antigua – West Indies win by eight wickets (DLS)
- Second ODI. Antigua – England win by five wickets
- Third ODI. Barbados – Wednesday, November 6 (6:00 p.m.)
- First T20. Barbados – Saturday November 9 (20:00)
- Second T20. Barbados – Sunday November 10 (20:00)
- Third T20. Saint Lucia – Thursday, November 14 (8:00 p.m.)
- Fourth T20. Saint Lucia – Saturday, November 16 (20:00)
- Fifth T20. Saint Lucia – Sunday, November 17 (20:00)
Follow England’s white-ball tour of the West Indies Sky Sportsdigital platforms with live blogs and reports. The third and final one-day international is in Barbados on Wednesday 6 November (6pm UK & Ireland kick-off).
