England back in form after one match. They bounced back to level the series. In a high-scoring game, the visitors dominated West Indies. In the century battle between the two captains, Liam Livingstone had the last laugh.
On Saturday, West Indies and England faced off in the second ODI of the series in Antigua. Losing the toss, the hosts batted first and posted a score of 328 for 6 wickets. In response, the Three Lions secured a 5-wicket win in 47.3 overs.
In the rain-affected first ODI, West Indies had clinched victory by 8 wickets. Winning this match would have secured the series for them, and they were on that path with captain Shai Hope’s century.
The start, however, wasn’t ideal as they lost two wickets for just 12 runs. But then Shai Hope and Casey Carty formed a 143-run partnership. The pair was broken when Carty was dismissed for 71 off 77 balls.
But Shai Hope didn’t stop there. This time, he found a new partner in Sherfane Rutherford. Together, they took on the English bowlers, adding 79 runs in 57 balls. Rutherford was out after scoring 54 off 36 balls.
Hope went on to complete his 17th ODI century. Although the Caribbean captain couldn’t extend his innings much further, he departed after scoring 117 off 127 balls with the team at 297 in 47 overs.
In addition, Shimron Hetmyer scored 24 off 11 balls, Roston Chase remained not out with 20* off 22, and Matthew Ford contributed 23* off 11 balls. Andrew Turner and Adil Rashid took two wickets each.
In pursuit of the target, England lost Will Jacks (12) and Jordan Cox (4), but Phil Salt kept the scoreboard moving with 63 runs by 11.2 overs. He then put up a 44-run stand with Jacob Bethell for the third wicket. The partnership broke at 107 in 20.1 overs.
Salt was dismissed after scoring 59 off 59 balls. Soon after, Jacob reached his half-century, scoring 55 off 57 balls before getting out. By then, though, Liam Livingstone had already set the stage ablaze. He and Sam Curran built a 140-run partnership off 107 balls.
Although Curran was dismissed for 52 off 52 balls, Livingstone’s onslaught continued. He secured the victory and remained unbeaten at 124 off 85 balls. Ford took 3 wickets for the Caribbean side, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win.
With this win, England has now leveled the three-match ODI series 1-1. The final ODI has become a decider for the series.
