WI vs ENG 2024/25, WI vs ENG 2nd ODI Match Report, November 2, 2024

England Batting 329 for 5 (Livingstone 124*, Salt 59, Bethell 55, Curran 52, Forde 3-48). West Indies 328 for 6 (Hope 117, Carty 71, Rutherford 54) by five wickets

That it was Livingstone's first 50-over century is one thing. But the responsibility he took on as leader of an inexperienced group to beat England in a 329-goal comeback – leveling the series at 1-1 – deserves the highest praise.

The acceleration at the end that delivered victory with 15 balls remaining is best illustrated in the breakdown of Livingstone's approach in the final 10 overs, with 100 remaining. He started this phase with 46 off 57 balls before scoring 78 off his last 28 balls.

But things got out of hand, marked by England using nine bowlers for the second time in ODIs. The fact that they could have released Hope at 60 also hit her deeply.

From 12 to 2, consolidation was the initial goal for Hope and Carty, who could have been removed at eight. An English squeeze involved three fielders at the back point, but Bethell – the middle of them – could only parry a diagonal shot from Carty that would have earned Turner a third dismissal.

The pair made it 41 for 2 from the powerplay, a figure boosted by Hope's first boundary in the 10th over – a stunning back-foot launch over extra cover for six from Turner. A quiet rotation ensued after two straight strikes from Saqib Mahmood – the only change in the starting XI from the first ODI, in which Jamie Overton was omitted – and a second six that saw Adil Rashid bowled over cover.

After being satisfied that the initial losses were recouped, risks were taken to increase the run rate. However, after clearing midwicket after Bethell fell short to take his 42nd score of 50 from 66 deliveries, it was a botched defensive attack that should have ended his innings at 60. An edge of Bethell bounced off the hands of salt behind the stumps.

Carty soon progressed to his fourth ODI fifty off 62 deliveries. He then got two lives when Turner went over the boundary with a ball from the top edge at deep fine leg and the fielder missed a far easier chance on the very next ball. Both came as Archer got his short-ball plans in place.

That miss would only cost three runs as Rashid came back to bowl Carty through the gate at the start of the 31st. But that left Rutherford reeling, who ended up hitting seven boundaries – three of them six – for a fifth half-century in just 35 deliveries.

Despite being dismissed a ball later – he was caught at deep cover trying to repeat the six over the same area that took him to fifty – Hetmyer's brisk 24 off 11 kept the pressure on. He was also dropped to 2 by Will Jacks with a long-on.

After Hetmyer was sent off and caught by Archer in the gully of a Rashid googly, Hope hit the accelerator. After leaning into a drive to reach 100 on his 118th delivery, he hit Rashid long-on for four and six over as the 36-year-old was deducted 13 in the final over.

Determined to throw his bat at everything in his path, Hope misjudged a slower throw from Archer, which was well received by Livingstone, who charged in from a distance. Forde then took the baton for the final straight, hitting three consecutive sixes off Mahmood in the last over to take the hosts to 328 for 6.

Although England shot themselves in the foot with four drops, they were also guilty of missing opportunities for immediate redemption with the bat. Salt appeared to be on his way to redemption, carrying the start of the innings on his back and shrugging off Jacks' defeat in the fifth over to contribute 36 of England's first fifty runs.

When Shamar Joseph, making his ODI debut rested with his namesake Alzarri, outdueled Jordan Cox with an agonizing 4 off 19 deliveries, Bethell came on and took England to 107 for 3 at the 20-over mark.

Both were guilty of giving up control. Salt ran the first ball of Forde's new season for 59 at the start of the 21st over, then Bethell threw Roston Chase into the hands of long-off after scoring an international fifty for the first time.

But the duo of Livingstone and Curran, who despite their experience still had a lot to prove, refused to panic. Curran initially took the attacker's role and smartly started with a six off Motie as he noticed an extra fielder in the outfield, meaning the umpires would call it a no-ball. He contributed 31 of the initial 50 for the fifth wicket before Livingstone decided it was all on him after five overs without a boundary heading into the last 10.

The starting pistol was aimed at the ground with a charge from Motie to reach Livingstone's fifty from 60 deliveries, before he concluded the 41st over with a slog sweep over deep mid-wicket on the very next delivery. Two consecutive sixes in Motie's next over – the second taking the century tally to 92 – also found the grass banks.

Pace was then given the ball again, which worked even further in Livingstone's favour. When Curran dropped a ball after the skipper had knocked down his 77th ball to take him to 100, Dan Mousley played his part right down to the tee by simply dabbing singles. The most important hit came at the start of the 48th over, giving Livingstone the strike for the honor of scoring the winning run.