In the second One-Day International on Sunday, September 10, England defeated New Zealand by 79 runs thanks to Liam Livingstone’s career-best performance and a tenacious bowling effort. The best-of-four ODI series is currently tied at one game apiece with two games left to play.
Finn Allen was dismissed by David Willey for a duck in the first over, which placed New Zealand’s attempt to complete the difficult total of 227 from the allotted 34 overs in jeopardy. The remainder of the innings was then built by a partnership between Devon Conway and Will Young, with Will Young showing incredible skill at the crease. Contrarily, Conway appeared rusty and struggled to pick up his tempo. Conway finally caved in to the urge to nick one behind after narrowly avoiding multiple disasters and overturning an on-field decision with DRS. Young soon returned to the hut following his hasty sprint between the wickets.
After a faultless start to the second half, English bowlers continued to perform when needed. When Reece Topley helped Willey with the new ball, the first replacement bowler, Gus Atkinson, really got things going. They all continued to work hard during that tense period to repel the batters. Once more, Daryl Mitchell got things going smoothly, but as wickets started to fall at the other end, he was too much for him. The fact that the Black Caps frequently lost wickets hurt them.
The official start of the second half of the innings came with Topley’s 23rd bowling over. By dismissing Glenn Phillips from the game and catching Rachin Ravindra in the same over, he nearly caused difficulties for New Zealand. The only reliable batter left to help Mitchell was Mitchell Santner, who abruptly retired at age 57 while trying to keep up with the increasing demand. The match may have been finished before Moeen Ali was out despite the fact that he contributed with two wickets, one of which was significant for Mitchell.
Even though Livingstone’s brilliant performance earlier in the day gave the hosts a chance to win the game, England’s bowlers also deserve praise for their superb performance. After a long delay, the chance to bat for the home team finally materialized. Trent Boult’s potent opening burst at 8/3 forced Ben Stokes, Joe Root, and Jonny Bairstow to stay inside the hut. As soon as Harry Brook and the skipper left, the score swung to 55/5. When Livingstone shifted to the middle, New Zealand was in the lead.
Livingstone, who had been struggling for the majority of the summer, including during the T20 Blast and The Hundred, rediscovered his form in the first ODI and carried that confidence into this innings. He took his time at first, before unleashing his usual onslaught of lethal blows onto the battlefield. Despite the fact that Sam Curran and Moeen both made major contributions to the squad, Curran and Livingstone’s 112-run combination handed England the advantage moving into the second half. The outcome of the game was ultimately altered by an astonishing comeback.
Brief scores:
England 226/7 in 34 overs (Liam Livingstone 95*, Sam Curran 42; Trent Boult 3-37) beat New Zealand 147 in 26.5 overs (Daryl Mitchell 57; Reece Topley 3-27, David Willey 3-34) by 79 runs
