Liam Livingstone believes he can use promotion in England’s T20I team to pitch his case for a recall to their ODI set-up. England have used Livingstone as a finisher in each of the last three T20 World Cups but he top-scored with 37 from No. 4 in their defeat to Australia at the Utilita Bowl on Wednesday night, having earlier taken 3 for 22 with his legbreaks.
Along with Sam Curran, Livingstone was one of two headline omissions from England’s squad for the five-match ODI series which starts next Thursday, effectively losing his spot to Jacob Bethell. Livingstone said he was told he had been dropped by Rob Key – “the old good news, bad news” – in a brief phone call, and is unclear how he can win his place back.
England’s top white-ball players no longer feature in their domestic 50-over competition, which clashes with the Hundred, and Livingstone has not played in the County Championship for two years. While he could feature in November’s ODI series in the Caribbean, with Test players unlikely to be available, his chances of featuring in February’s Champions Trophy likely rest on his T20 form.
“I don’t really know – that’s one of my challenges,” Livingstone said. “That’s why I’m happy that I’ve got an opportunity to bat up the order [in the T20Is]. I feel like I’ve shown over the last couple of weeks, maybe a month, that the longer I get to bat in games, the more of a chance I have to affect games.
“I feel like I’ve done that in 50-over cricket as well: if you take away the World Cup, I feel like I’d done that further down the order. But it is what it is: I’m 31, I’m not going to sit here and cry about not being picked. There’s plenty of cricket to be played around the world, and if I’m not involved in the ODI stuff then there’s plenty more opportunities.
“I want to play as much cricket for England as I possibly can. Unfortunately, I won’t be playing in the ODIs but it’s still not something I’m giving up on. I’ve had a difficult couple of years. My body has probably let me down a little bit, and maybe I haven’t been up to scratch physically, with a couple of niggles here and there.”
Livingstone’s breakthrough as an international cricketer was remarkable. Recalled to the T20I side after a four-year absence, he was the undisputed star of the 2021 English summer, hitting a 42-ball century against Pakistan and launching Haris Rauf for a 117-metre straight six at Headingley. He was also the inaugural Hundred MVP, and impressed at the 2022 IPL.
But since then he has faded, and is playing for his international future this week. If England’s Test batters had been available for this series – including Ben Duckett, Harry Brook and Jamie Smith – then Livingstone’s spot in the side would have been at risk. Instead, he has been promoted to No. 4 and was their best performer on Wednesday night.
Livingstone blames regular injuries for his drop-off, having rushed back from an ankle injury to be fit for the 2022 T20 World Cup and injuring his knee on Test debut weeks after the final. He is now fully fit: “I can run around at 100 percent in the field and I can bowl and bat to the best of my ability, which is something I probably haven’t been able to do for two-and-a-half years.”
He has been told that he will get a run at No. 4 in this series, a role he prefers to being a finisher. “It’s up to me to make sure I try to do as well as I can and give them a bit of a headache for the next series,” he said. “I don’t think you’ll see anybody that wants to bat lower down the order.
“I want that responsibility. I want to try to win games of cricket for England, and the higher up the order, the more chance you have of doing that. There’s less people that can play that role [at No. 6] and sometimes you’ve got to take it on the chin… [but] this is a chance for me to stake my claim.”
At 31, Livingstone is the second-oldest player in England’s squad for this series behind Adil Rashid. “It feels weird, but I feel really old in this team,” he said. “I’ve got to give the younger boys a steer and take a bit of pressure off them. I enjoyed the responsibility.
“There’s a bit of a fresh look, a fresh environment,” he added. “Things are going to change. That naturally happens when you bring in new players, but especially when you bring in new coaches as well. Things have felt different: it’s like a new beginning.”