Livingstone lives up to the IPL hype with majestic ILT20 knock

Having played a blinder in Abu Dhabi Knight Riders' opening game at the ILT20 Season 4 against the Sharjah Warriorz, Liam Livingstone failed to hit the high notes with his cricketing instrument.

Following his stunning 38-ball unbeaten 82 in the first game, which saw him hit eight huge sixes, setting up the Warriors' 39-run win, the England star had struggled to find the sweet spot of his bat.

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Going into Tuesday's crunch game against the league leaders, Desert Vipers, Livingstone was battling for form, managing just 29 runs in four innings.

It was not the ideal situation for a player looking to hit top gear for a team struggling to keep their playoff hopes alive.

But December 16, was not just another day. Livingstone had just earned a $1.44 million deal with the Sunrisers Hyderabad securing his services in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Barely 22 kilometres away at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Livingstone walked into the middle with his team — batting first — in dire straits at 9 for two in a make-or-break game against the already qualified Vipers.

Alex Hales (25 off 18 balls) was beginning to impose his game with some big shots, but his dismissal against the run of play was a big blow for the Knight Riders.

Livingstone, at the other end, remained cautious with nine off eight balls until Hales was in the middle.

But Hall's dismissal brought the young UAE batter Alishan Sharafu (39 off 35 balls) to the middle.

Now, as the senior pro, the onus was on Livingstone.

But barring a stunning one-handed six off Lockie Ferguson over the midwicket fence, Livingstone was focused on building the innings — rather than going for the jugular.

The 32-year-old allowed the UAE youngster to play with freedom as he rotated the strike.

Sharafu obliged with some big blows — three sixes to be precise.

But once Sam Curran, one of the best players of the season so far, had Sharafu caught behind, Livingstone needed to take centre stage.

With their innings delicately poised at 111 for four in the 15th over, Livingstone, who was on 35 when Sharafu departed, rose to the challenge.

Shifting gears effortlessly, the right-hander scored the next 41 runs off just 16 balls to return with a score of 76 off 48 balls (6 fours, 3 sixes).

While he was merciless against the pace bowlers, pulling off gorgeous drives on the rise and cuts, Livingstone deployed the slog sweep against Afghan leg-spinner Qais Ahmad, hitting two majestic sixes.

His superbly paced knock eventually helped the Knight Riders set a challenging total of 181 for five, which they went on to defend by just one run in a thrilling finish.

While the Knight Riders remain at the bottom of the table with four points in the six-team league, their hopes are very much alive.

With four matches to go, they can still make the playoffs by pulling some impressive wins.

And the man who kept them in the hunt is Livingstone, whose knock gave their bowlers a big total to defend.

The Englishman was delighted after receiving the player-of-the-match trophy.

"It's been a bit frustrating, but I had trust in the way I've been playing," he said of his string of low scores going into Tuesday's clash.

"Pretty happy with the way I paced it -- getting 25 off 25 and then pressing on the gas accelerator. The most pleasing thing is being able to get a score and contribute."

It certainly was a pleasant day for Livingstone, having become the fourth most expensive player in the IPL auction before producing an innings of the highest class for his ILT20 franchise.

Rituraj Borkakoty

• 

rituraj@khaleejtimes.com

Rituraj Borkakoty is Sports Editor and has spent more than two decades writing on his sporting heroes. He also loves an underdog story, so if you have one, share it with him. He would love to bring it to life.