ENG vs NZ: Liam Livingstone hammers 52 off 40 deliveries
England swashbuckler Liam Livingstone played a blinder against New Zealand in the first ODI at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. The all-rounder creamed the ball all over the park to bring up his second ODI fifty. He reached his fifty in only 39 balls and helped England accelerate in the slog overs. His 40-ball 52 helped the hosts compile a total of 291/6.
A blazing hand from Livingstone
Livingstone changed the tone of the game with his positivity. He came in the middle when England were 189/4. He and Jos Buttler stitched a 77-run partnership in 59 balls and took England beyond the 250-run mark. His 52-run knock was laced with three maximums and as many fours as he scored fifty off 39 deliveries. Tim Southee outfoxed Livingstone with a slower ball.
Early days in ODI cricket for Livingstone
Playing his 13th ODI clash, Livingstone surpassed the milestone of 300 runs in this format. He has raced to 302 runs at an average of 33.55. He bats at an incredible strike rate of 123.77. Livingstone has scored two fifties and his highest score of 66*came against the Netherlands last year when England posted the world's highest ODI team total of 498/4.
Second-fastest ODI fifty for Livingstone
Last year, Livingstone slammed the joint second-fastest ODI fifty in 17 balls against the Netherlands. He matched the record of Sri Lanka's Kusal Perera, Sanath Jayasuriya and NZ's Martin Guptill. AB de Villiers is the only batter ahead of them, who scored fifty in 16 balls in ODI cricket. Overall, Livingstone scored 22-ball 66* which was laced with six maximums and as many fours.
How did England's innings pan out?
After they were invited to bat, England had a steady start as Dawid Malan and Harry Brook added 80 runs in 15 overs. However, both the openers were dismissed in quick succession and even Root was sent back early. Ben Stokes and Buttler stitched an 88-run partnership before Buttler added 77 more runs with Livingstone. David Willey added finishing touches to the innings (291/6).
