Captain Liam Livingstone rises to the occasion as England levels ODI series against West Indies

NORTH SOUND, Antigua (AP) — Captain Liam Livingstone's first ODI century in a 140-run partnership with Sam Curran inspired England to a five-wicket win over West Indies on Saturday to level the three-match series.

England finished its successful run chase on 329-5 in the second one-day international with 15 balls remaining.

The form hinted at when Livingstone top-scored with 48 in England's eight-wicket loss in the first match on Thursday emerged in full bloom as he reached his century from 77 balls and finished 124 not out from 85 deliveries.

Livingstone had a reputation of being one of England cricket's great untapped talents as he produced only four half centuries in 31 previous ODIs. But his accession to the ODI captaincy has been energizing and he showed the full range of his ability as he led England to the second-highest successful ODI chase in the West Indies.

England had been set a formidable target after Livingstone's counterpart, West Indies captain Shai Hope, made 117 to lead his team to 328-6.

Phil Salt's 59 and a maiden half century by Jacob Bethell gave England a solid beginning.

Livingstone began watchfully but steadily imparted momentum to the England innings as he eclipsed his previous ODI best of 95. He was in full flow when he took 26 runs from the 45th over, bowled by Jayden Seales, and 24 from Shamar Joseph in the 46th before finishing the chase with plenty to spare.

The match was still in the balance when England was 176-4 in the 30th over with the Livingstone-Curran partnership in its infancy and 7.5 runs per over needed to win.

But Livingstone expertly controlled his team's chase with the able assistance of Curran who was out for a run-a-ball 52 in the 46th over with the target in sight at 300-5.

“Certain things I've done in practice, the end I had to the summer in England ... I felt I was getting back to my best,” Livingstone said. "I'm just maturing a little bit, knowing my game pretty well and just enjoying cricket which I know is the main thing.

“A pretty proud day today.”

The third and deciding match of the series will be played at Bridgetown, Barbados, on Wednesday.

Young fast bowler John Turner had West Indies in trouble at 12-2, dismissing Brandon King (7) and Evin Lewis (4), inside four overs after Livingstone won the toss. Dismissing Lewis was a welcome wicket for England as he made an unbeaten 94 on Thursday to lead the West Indies to victory in the series opener.

Hope came to the crease in the fourth over with the immediate job of rebuilding the West Indies innings in the company of Keacy Carty (71). He left in the 47th over when West Indies were 297-6 and in the middle of a late charge which brought 93 runs from the last 10 overs.

Hope and Keacy put on 143 for the third wicket, carefully at first but with increasing authority. Keacy gave a chance at eight to Bethell at backward point, struggled for boundaries early, then marched to his first half century in five ODI innings from 62 balls.

Hope raised his half century — his 42nd in one-day internationals — from 66 balls with a six off a short ball from Bethell.

Keacy was out in the 31st over when West Indies were 155-3. Hope was joined by Sherfane Rutherford (54) with whom he added 79 for the fourth wicket, carrying the West Indies to 234-4 just as the last 10 overs were about to begin.

Rutherford continued his superb form of West Indies' recent one-day series in Sri Lanka in which he scored three consecutive half centuries with a top-score of 80. He took his first four from the second ball he faced and added three more and three sixes in reaching 50 from 35 balls.

After Rutherford, Shimron Hetmeyer scored a sprightly 24 from 11 balls with three sixes as the West Indies rapidly closed on 300.

Hope, struggling with cramp in warm conditions, was out just before that milestone was achieved. But Roston Chase made 20 not out from 22 balls and Matthew Forde hit three consecutive sixes in his 11-ball 23 to keep up the momentum.

England used nine bowlers but was hampered by dropped catches. Jofra Archer's use of the short ball wasn't always effective but he was England's best with 1-40 from nine overs.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

West Indies' captain Shai Hope plays a shot for six runs during the second ODI cricket match against England at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' captain Shai Hope acknowledges scoring a century against England during the second ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' captain Shai Hope plays a shot from a delivery of England's Jofra Archer during the second ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' Keacy Carty plays a shot against England during the second ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' captain Shai Hope (4) and Keacy Carty knock gloves during the second ODI cricket match against England at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' captain Shai Hope, left, celebrates with teammate Sherfane Rutherford after hitting a six against England during the second ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Ground in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' Sherfane Rutherford walks off the field, caught by Dan Mousley for 54 runs, during the second ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

West Indies' Shimron Hetmyer plays a shot as England's Phil Salt keeps wicket during the second ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's captain Liam Livingstone plays a shot against West Indies during the second ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's captain Sam Curran plays a shot against West Indies during the second ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's captain Liam Livingstone hits for six runs as West Indies' captain Shai Hope keeps wicket during the second ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's Sam Curran plays a shot against England during the second ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

A fan of West Indies waves flags during the second ODI cricket match against England at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's captain Liam Livingstone plays a shot against West Indies during the second ODI cricket match at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

An Azerbaijani airliner has crashed in Kazakhstan after being diverted, killing 38 of 67 people on board.

Some things to know about the crash and the speculation about a possible cause:

Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijani capital Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons that aren't fully clear yet. It crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau, Kazakhstan, after flying east across the Caspian Sea.

The plane went down near the coast about 3 kilometers (around 2 miles) from Aktau. Cellphone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before hitting the ground and exploding in a fireball.

Rescuers have rushed 29 people who survived the crash to hospitals.

Azerbaijan observed a nationwide day of mourning on Thursday. National flags were lowered across the country, traffic across the country stopped at noon, and signals were sounded from ships and trains.

Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that the weather had forced the plane to change from its planned course.

Kazakhstani, Azerbaijani and Russian authorities say they are investigating the crash. Embraer told The Associated Press in a statement that the company is “ready to assist all relevant authorities.”

Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said that preliminary information indicated that the pilots diverted to Aktau after a bird strike led to an emergency on board.

Some commentators alleged that the holes seen in the plane’s tail section pictured after the crash possibly indicate that it could have come under fire from Russian air defense systems fending off a Ukrainian drone attack.

Osprey Flight Solutions, an aviation security firm based in the United Kingdom, warned its clients that the “Azerbaijan Airlines flight was likely shot down by a Russian military air-defense system.”

Osprey CEO Andrew Nicholson said that the company had issued more than 200 alerts regarding drone attacks and air defense systems in Russia during the war.

Asked Thursday about the claims that the plane had been fired upon by air defense assets, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “it would be wrong to make hypotheses before investigators make their verdict.”

Officials in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have similarly avoided comment on a possible cause of the crash, saying it will be up to investigators to determine it.

Flowers and portraits are placed at the Consulate of Azerbaijan in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

In this image taken from video released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers transport wounded passengers from a medical plane after the Azerbaijani Airline crashed, near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, upon their arrival at the Zhukovsky airport outside Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)

St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov lays a bunch of flowers at the Consulate of Azerbaijan in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Azerbaijan's national flag at half-mast in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau, is seen in front of a Government's building in the center of Baku, Azerbaijan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)

The wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lays on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Azamat Sarsenbayev)

Azerbaijan's national flag at half-mast in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau, is seen in the center of Baku, Azerbaijan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)

In this photo released by Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers work at the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, Members of an investigation committee and local officials walk past the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 lying on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)

In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, a part of Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)