Liam Livingstone
He is confident of the lethality of the fast bowlers
jofra archer
And
Mark Wood
will provide
England
a profitable boost as they begin their
T20 World Cup
Defence in Barbados next week.
The pair of Archer and Wood powered England to a 2-0 T20 series win over Pakistan at the Oval on Thursday. Archer made the crucial breakthrough by dismissing Pakistan’s in-form skipper Babar Azam for 36, taking the visitors from 59 for 0 to 157 all out.
See also: T20 World Cup schedule
Wood’s blistering pace, which reached 96 mph (154 kmph) in the opening spell, took two crucial wickets with sharp bouncers, dismissing Azam Khan and Naseem Shah.
Apart from the fast bowling, spin bowling all-rounder Livingstone also made an impact by taking two wickets in one over. In England’s top order, captain Jos Buttler (39) and Phil Salt (45) displayed excellent form during their time in the middle order.
“It’s great to get a 2-0 win ahead of the World Cup,” Livingstone said after England won the four-match T20I series. Only two matches were played in the series, with the two matches in Leeds and Cardiff being washed out due to rain.
“I think what made it better was that we really got that, especially with Geoff and Woody coming in, it gave us that extra edge that we didn’t have before, which is great.”
Both Archer and Wood have been plagued by injuries throughout their careers, yet Livingstone insisted: “Any team that has them in them, you feel like you’re a step ahead before the game even starts.
“We know pace can work two ways: it can get you wickets and it can also score runs. They may not always demolish teams but I think having those two is a huge weapon and CJ (Chris Jordan) is bowling brilliantly as well.”
England will be eager to prove their newfound confidence after a disappointing defence of their 50-over World Cup title in India last year. The disappointing performance has cast doubts over the positions of captain Buttler and white-ball coach Matthew Mott.
However, the England management retained faith in the duo, given their past success in leading the team to victory in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. “I believe we are in a much better position now than we were six months ago, which is incredibly promising for all of us,” Livingstone insisted.
Meanwhile, Livingstone revealed he is finally free from pain after battling a persistent knee injury.
“It hasn’t been the most fun 18 months trying to play with a minor illness,” he said. “It kills your spirit, it kills your enjoyment of the game. Cricket“He was disappointed after his IPL 2024 tenure ended,” Livingstone said.
Fortunately, an injection seems to have worked wonders for his knee, and Livingstone’s morale has been restored.
“It’s a lot better,” he said. “I feel like I have a smile on my face and that’s what matters most to me.”
(With AFP inputs)
