England level series after Liam Livingstone’s destructive knock stuns Australia in Cardiff, Matt Short claims five wickets

Liam Livingstone has steered England towards a three-wicket victory in the second T20I against Australia at Sophia Gardens to level the series. But there was an unexpected shining star with the ball in defeat.

Liam Livingstone has steered England towards a three-wicket victory in the second T20I against Australia at Sophia Gardens to tie the bilateral series at 1-1 with one match remaining.

Set a 194-run target for victory in Cardiff, Livingstone plundered 87 from 47 deliveries to help England pull off the highest successful run chase at the Welsh venue in T20Is.

Part-time spinner Matt Short claimed 5-22 in three overs in defeat, the third-best bowling figures by an Australian in men’s T20Is, but it was a lone highlight in an otherwise disappointing outing for the tourists.

Short takes one of his five wickets. Picture: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

MATCH CENTRE: England vs. Australia, second T20 scorecard

Livingstone, who earlier claimed 2-16 from three overs with the ball, combined with England young gun Jacob Bethell for a destructive 90-run partnership for the fourth wicket, leaving Australia to rue some lazy fielding and uninspiring bowling.

Playing his 50th T20I, Livingstone smoked five sixes and six boundaries during his swashbuckling knock, achieving his highest score in the format in more than three years.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Bethell, who was signed by the Melbourne Renegades in this month’s Big Bash League Draft, proved he was the real deal with an entertaining 44 (24) that featured three sixes.

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Liam Livingstone steered England home to level the series. Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Earlier, young gun Jake Fraser-McGurk, batting at first drop for the first time in his international career, topscored with 50 as Australia posted 6-193 in the Welsh capital.

The Victorian missed selection for the series opener in Southampton after a form slump in the game’s shortest format, but an illness setback for captain Mitchell Marsh opened the door for his return to the starting XI.

“I’ve done some No. 3 work in the Big Bash and the last IPL, so it wasn’t anything foreign,” Fraser-McGurk said during the innings break.

“I’m just pretty happy to get above 20 for the first time in a while.

“Going to Scotland, it was quite tough. I’ve never played in such cold conditions. It felt quite foreign, I’ve never really experienced that before. I was just not really confident in my own game.

“Got my opportunity (today) and I’m glad I took it.”

Travis Head led the side in Marsh’s absence, becoming the 13th cricketer to captain Australia in men’s T20Is.

Head and opening partner Short got Australia off to another blistering start after England skipper Phil Salt won the toss and chose to bowl first in Cardiff, bringing up a fifty-run partnership in the fourth over.

Playing his first T20I in over 12 months, English quick Brydon Carse broke the stand in the fifth over when Head carved a full delivery directly towards Adil Rashid at point for 31.

I think it's safe to say that Travis Head and Matthew Short are currently the best T20 opening combination in the world.

— Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) September 13, 2024

The tempo steadied following Head’s departure, with Short failing to find the boundary rope for 14 consecutive deliveries before leg-spinner Rashid deceived the Victorian in the ninth over with a wrong-un, bowled for 28.

Fraser-McGurk brought up his maiden T20I fifty in 29 deliveries, becoming the youngest Australian to reach the minor milestone since David Warner in 2009. However, the 22-year-old departed in the same over after miscuing a slog against tweaker Livingstone towards long-on, with all-rounder Marcus Stoinis falling in almost identical fashion a few minutes later.

Australian wicketkeeper Josh Inglis picked up the scoring rate following Stoinis’ departure, producing an assortment of elegant sweeps and lap shots before chipping a slower ball from left-armed seamer Sam Curran towards deep square leg for 42.

Jake Fraser-McGurk celebrates his fifty. Picture: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

In the penultimate over, Jamie Overton dropped a regulation outfield catch at deep mid-wicket, gifting West Australian all-rounder Cameron Green an extra life on 2. To rub salt into the wounds, Green slapped the following delivery into the stands for six, with a patron in the front row showing Overton how it’s done.

Aaron Hardie ended the innings with a flourish, cracking 20 runs from the final over delivered by Curran as Australia posted the second-highest team total in T20Is at Sophia Gardens. Carse was the pick of England’s bowlers with 2-26 from four overs, including the crucial dismissal of pinch-hitter Tim David.

England’s run chase got off to a promising start when Salt blasted three consecutive sixes against Hardie in the third over, reviving the Welsh crowd.

However, paceman Sean Abbott halted England’s momentum by removing opener Will Jacks and No. 3 Jordan Cox in the third over. Jacks clipped a delivery directly towards the square leg boundary rider for 12 before Abbott produced an in-cutter that crashed into Cox’s leg stump for a second-ball duck.

England wrestled back control when Salt and Livingstone combined for a rapid 45-run partnership for the third wicket, aided by some sloppy Australian fielding. But the introduction of part-time spinner Short in the ninth over proved a captaincy masterstroke from Head, with Salt picking out long-off for 39.

Livingstone brought up a 27-ball fifty, his second in T20Is, with consecutive sixes against Stoinis, with he and Bethell finding the boundary rope with ease following the drinks break.

Short, who dropped Livingstone in the outfield on 72, knocked over Bethell and Curran in quick succession after returning to the attack also accounting for Livingstone and Rashid in the penultimate over of the innings – but it was too little, too late for the Australians.

The third and final T20 between England and Australia gets underway at Old Trafford on Sunday at 11.30pm AEST.

Originally published as England level series after Liam Livingstone’s destructive knock stuns Australia in Cardiff, Matt Short claims five wickets