LIAM Livingstone scored a “coming-of-age knock” in England’s win in the second one-day international against the West Indies in Antigua, former captain Sir Alastair Cook said.
The stand-in skipper struck an unbeaten 124 from 85 balls to earn his team a five-wicket victory and level the three-match series at 1-1.

Livingstone, 31, has attracted criticism for a perceived one-dimensional approach to the 50-over innings, prioritizing quick scoring over creating innings that will carry the team to victory.
“He will be really satisfied that he did it under pressure. “He got the job done for the first time,” Cook told TNT Sports.
“It was a rollercoaster that turned things around and it was great for him to finally be there.

“It was so strange to play at the end. You saw a change in his determination; he was never going out there. It was a coming-of-age shot for him.”
Livingstone left England 107-3, 222 runs short of a target of 329, with almost 30 points left to play.

He played surprisingly carefully; He scored 42 in his first 50 balls, but accelerated from there, scoring 82 off 35 overs; this was the fastest acceleration by an England batsman after 50 balls.
This propelled his side to victory with 15 balls to spare and breathed life into a series that had looked one-sided after England were beaten by eight wickets in the first ODI on Thursday.
“Treat him fairly; He was under scrutiny and pressure after Thursday’s game,” Cook added.
“It will do wonders for him as a captain when you deliver the goods at the next opportunity.”

According to WinViz, the West Indies were more likely to win the majority of the match until Livingstone’s brutal acceleration in the final 10 overs of England’s innings.
Livingstone, who scored 48 in the opening match on Thursday, spoke about how he enjoyed cricket in the post-match presentation.
“I feel like I’m back to my best,” he said. “I’m just maturing, knowing my game and enjoying my cricket. If I’m doing that, I know I’m playing pretty well.

“I tried to get myself going then I knew we could wait until the end and target their death bowling. Sammy (Curran) and I wanted to play it that way and it worked out perfectly in the end.
“We need someone in the top six to go on and get a big point. I thought we were good with the ball too. Overall it was a pretty good performance and we got back into the series.”
His team will be decided in Barbados tomorrow (18:00 GMT) and the interim captain was hopeful that his performance in this match would help his inexperienced team.
“We have a lot of young kids who are still learning the ropes of international cricket,” he said. “Hopefully this will boost their confidence and do a lot of good for them.” (BBC Sport)