England were 55 for five, a fourth consecutive defeat against New Zealand on the cards, World Cup preparation looking a little bit all over the shop. And then came Liam Livingstone. The T20 star searching for 50-over success found joy as an inbetweener, hitting an unbeaten 95 in a 34-overs-a-side contest as England won the second one-day international by 79 runs.
Livingstone’s innings headlined a total of 226 for seven after steady mizzle in Southampton delayed the start and forced a shortened contest, not ideal as both sides looked to cram in another ODI lesson before the major show next month. Two days on from his hundred in Cardiff, Daryl Mitchell and his heavenly straight drive briefly threatened for New Zealand but England’s attack squeezed from the other end and levelled the series 1-1.
