England Cricket Board (ECB) managing director Rob Kay has responded to the all-rounder’s comments. Liam LivingstoneHe said that despite the recent criticism of the team management, the player remains in contention for selection.Livingstone, who has not played international cricket since England’s winless campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy under former captain Jos Buttler, told ESPNCricinfo that the management, including key and head coach Brendon McCullumdid not show enough concern for the players after they were dropped. He also said Key did not communicate with him before his main contract expired, claiming he was told there were “100 more important jobs to do”.
Responding after England’s Ashes review, which saw Australia lose 1-4, Key said: “Look, I’m not going to get into private conversations. Obviously, there’s another side to the conversation as I saw it. What I said to Liam at the end of the phone call was quite difficult to say. [was that] “There is no way I would not be willing to select a player of Liam Livingstone’s caliber for England.”Key added that Livingstone has been discussed for a return during the limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka ahead of the ICCT Twenty20 World Cup and remains in the mix, provided he performs.Talking to Sky Sports, he said that we discussed with him for the Sri Lanka series. Liam Livingstone is very much a player we’d love to see at his best, scoring runs and then back in the England set-up.He also pointed out that Livingstone was once considered for leadership responsibilities. “We thought as much about it. [as] To make him captain at a stage, when we didn’t have all the senior players,” Key said, referring to the ODI series against the West Indies in late 2024.“That’s how we thought about it. I’ve still got plenty of time for Liam Livingstone, and there’s no reason why someone’s England career should be over at 32,” he added.Livingstone previously described the team’s atmosphere as a clique, saying, “If you’re in, you’re in, and if you’re not in, nobody cares about you.” Key rejected the claim, saying that such backlash is expected when players are left out.“You always have times where, unfortunately, in these roles — especially when you’re struggling — you always have people who push you back on your way, and that’s totally fine,” Kay said.He also noted that it is not possible to keep everyone satisfied in such roles. “But ultimately, Liam Livingstone, or any of those players in county cricket at the start of the summer, they have a chance to play for England.”Livingstone has come to India for this. Indian Premier LeagueWhere he will play for Sunrisers Hyderabad after being signed for Rs 13 crore. His team will begin their campaign against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the team he represented last season.He had a strong IPL season with the Punjab Kings in 2022, scoring 437 runs in 14 innings at an average of 36.42 and a strike rate above 182, including four fifties. Over the next three seasons, he scored 502 runs in 27 matches at an average of 22.81, with three half-centuries and a strike rate above 150.Last year for England, he scored 74 runs in five T20 matches at an average of 14.80 and a strike rate of 127.58, with a highest score of 43.His performance in domestic competitions helped him gain attention ahead of the IPL auction. Playing for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred, he scored 241 runs at an average of 40.16 and took seven wickets. In a Vitality Blast for Lancashire, he scored 260 runs at an average of 52 with a strike rate of over 176 and took six wickets.
