CARDIFF (Reuters) – Liam Livingstone smashed a magnificent 87 from 47 balls as England beat Australia by three wickets to level their three match T20 series 1-1 at Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens on Friday.
Livingstone’s second half century in his 50th T20 match for England set the crowd rocking and came after Australia, with Jake Fraser-McGurk hitting his first international 50, had set the hosts a target of 194.
Captain Phil Salt hit three successive sixes in the third over before Sean Abbott pegged England back with two quick wickets in the fourth, Fraser-McGurk catching Will Jacks for 12 before Jordan Cox was bowled for a second ball duck.
Salt went for 39 off 23 balls, caught by Abbott, but the experienced Livingstone’s tremendous partnership with Jacob Bethell (44 from 24) steadied the hosts and set them on the path to victory.
Livingstone took England to the brink with a six and a four but was then caught by Matt Short with one run required, leaving Adil Rashid to close the game out with a single and six balls remaining.
The victory cancelled out Wednesday’s opening 28 run defeat in Southampton and set up a final decider at Old Trafford, Manchester, on Sunday.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
