In the fourth One-Day International at Lord’s, England all-rounder Liam Livingstone destroyed Mitchell Starc in his last over. The experienced seamer had a poor evening, conceding 52 runs in seven overs without scoring any runs, and in the last over he was hit for four sixes and a boundary, resulting in an eight-over total of 70 runs lost. In the first innings, England scored 312 runs in 39 overs and went on to win by 186 runs.
One may argue that the dynamics altered in England’s innings in the last over. Livingstone played a dot in the second ball after opening the over with a six-over long-on. He flicked the ball to send it into the stands in the third delivery. By that point, Starc had lost his pace and, in the fourth delivery, he bowled a full toss, which Livingstone punished by hitting over long off. With the six, he also reached his half-century mark.
In the sixth delivery, Starc bowled short, and Livingstone was well-prepared, hitting his third straight six by pulling over deep square leg.
The 31-year-old hit a boundary in the last delivery by pushing someone to the backward point. He gave the club confidence and closed the inning on a positive note. The series is now 2-2 after the England bowlers performed brilliantly in the second innings.
Watch the video below:
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Incredible final over hitting from Liam Livingstone 💪💥
🏴 #ENGvAUS 🇦🇺 | @liaml4893 pic.twitter.com/qfEDxOM88N
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 27, 2024
England surpassed us handily: Mitchell Marsh
Australia’s captain Mitchell Marsh said after a humiliating loss that England had outplayed them at Lord’s. Furthermore, he praised Livingstone for a “gem of an innings” of performance. The middle order crumbled under duress, leading to a crushing loss, he said, disappointing the batters who needed one or two big partnerships.
“We are under a lot of pressure from England, fair play. We were totally outplayed by them. Liam Livingstone put forth an outstanding innings, perhaps a little over average.
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You need one or two major partnerships in a run-chase like that. We kept losing wickets because England bowled so well. That’s cricket,” remarked Marsh.