Dropped from England’s white-ball sides this year, Livingstone delivered a reminder of his enduring class with 69 not out off 27 balls at Edgbaston, including an astonishing takedown of Rashid Khan.
Livingstone thumped 26, including three of his five sixes, in Khan’s final set, with the vaunted Afghanistan leg-spinner’s 0-59 the worst figures ever recorded in the men’s competition.
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Saqib Mahmood took two wickets in two balls to set up a grandstand finale, but Benny Howell drove for four first up to settle a high-scoring thriller as a pursuit of 181 was reeled in with two deliveries to spare.
The game was not without drama between the two sides as Tom Curran appeared to aim some sledging at Livingstone, celebrating in his direction when he removed Jacob Bethell.
For Livingstone, it was a shock that spurred him onto the dominant showing he produced.
“I have no idea why Tom started to spray me!” Livingstone told BBC Two.
“He is one of my good friends and he called me a fat slob or something so I thought ‘let’s hope you don’t go for a few if you come back at the death’ and he did so I’m kind of happy with that.”
As well as a special innings from captain Livingstone, Birmingham, who started their campaign by losing to Trent Rockets and Southern Brave, were grateful for 51 from Will Smeed, although England pair Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell were dismissed for single figures as their quiet tournaments continued.
The Invincibles, who lost for the first time this year after two successive wins, recovered from 114-5 from 73 balls to reach 180-8 thanks to Donovan Ferreira’s 63 off 29 deliveries.
“We needed it, it’s been a bit of a disappointing start to the tournament,” added Livingstone.
“It’s nice to lead from the front and hopefully that gives the boys a bit of momentum and a bit of confidence.
“I was trying to be there at the end, it’s something I haven’t done a lot of in my career, so it was in the back of my mind, but we still needed to take some risks.
“It’s massive. There’s no hiding in this competition. If you lose a couple of games, you’re right up against it. Hopefully this gives us a bit of confidence going forward, it’s an incredible win from where we were. It’s nice to be on the board and get that first win.”
How do The Hundred matches work?
- One hundred balls a side, the team with the most runs wins. It is as simple as that.
- Five bowlers can bowl up to 20 balls in an innings, including five or 10 in a row.
- The traditional six-ball overs seen in other forms of cricket are not used in The Hundred, with 10 balls bowled before a change of ends.
- The powerplay is for the first 25 balls of an innings, with only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle.
- A 25-ball-a-side game is the minimum length that can be played in the event of wet weather.
What’s next in The Hundred?
Phoenix will travel to Headingley to face the Northern Superchargers on Friday (6.30pm start), with Invincibles next in action on home soil against Welsh Fire on Saturday (6pm start).
Wednesday is a four-match day in The Hundred, with Southern Brave taking on Northern Superchargers in Southampton (women’s match at 11.30am, men’s match at 3pm), plus Welsh Fire vs Manchester Originals in Cardiff (women’s match at 3pm, men’s match at 6pm).
Watch every match across the women’s and men’s competitions live on Sky Sports from August 5-31. Not got Sky? Stream The Hundred and more with no contract.
