Liam Livingstone enthusiastic about England’s ‘extra lead’ with Jofra Archer and Mark Wood | Cricket news

Liam Livingstone is confident the firepower of fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will give England an advantageous boost as they begin their T20 World Cup defense in Barbados next week.

Archer and Wood’s reunion at The Oval on Thursday proved pivotal as England secured a 2-0 T20 series victory over Pakistan. Archer’s crucial breakthrough, dismissing in-form Pakistan captain Babar Azam for 36, caused a collapse that dropped the tourists from 59 for 0 to 157 all out.



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Wood’s blistering pace, which reached a rapid 96 mph (154 km per hour) in his first spell, led to two crucial wickets with scorching bouncers, removing Azam Khan and Naseem Shah.

Besides the fast bowling, spin-bowling all-rounder Livingstone also impressed with two wickets in an over. England’s top order, captained by Jos Buttler (39) and Phil Salt (45), showed good form during their time in the middle.

“A 2-0 win at the start of the World Cup is great,” Livingstone said after England won the four-match T20I, which saw only two matches in action, while those in Leeds and Cardiff were wiped out.

“I think what was better was what we actually got out of that, especially because Jof and Woody give us that kind of extra edge that we haven’t had before, which is pretty cool.”

Both Archer and Wood have been plagued by injuries throughout their careers, but Livingstone stressed: “Every team that has them, before you even start the game you feel like you are one step ahead.

“We know that pace can work in two ways: it can get you wickets and it can get you runs. They’re not always going to blow teams away, but I think having those two is a pretty big weapon and CJ (Chris Jordan) has bowled beautifully as well.”

England will be keen to confirm their newfound confidence after last year’s disappointing defense of their 50-over World Cup title in India. The disappointing performance cast doubt on the positions of skipper Buttler and white-ball coach Matthew Mott.

However, the England management retained faith in the duo given their previous success in steering the team to victory at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. Livingstone stressed: “I believe we are in a much better position now than we were six months ago, which is incredibly promising for all of us.”

Meanwhile, Livingstone revealed he was finally free from pain after struggling with a persistent knee injury.

“It wasn’t the best 18 months of trying to play with a little something,” he said. “It drains your mind, your enjoyment of cricket diminishes,” added Livingstone, who was admittedly dejected after his IPL 2024 stint ended.

Fortunately, it appears an injection has worked wonders for his knee, helping Livingstone regain his strength.

“It’s much better,” he said. “I feel like I have a smile on my face and that’s all that really matters to me.”

(With AFP inputs)