Liam Livingstone of England during the nets session at Edgbaston on May 24, 2024 in Birmingham, England. (Photo/Getty Images) England Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Rob Key has responded to all-rounder Liam Livingstone’s comments, saying the player remains in contention for selection despite his recent criticism of the team management.Livingstone, who has not played international cricket since England won the ICC Champions Trophy under former captain Jose Buttler, told ESPNCricinfo that the management, including Key and head coach Brendan McCullum, did not show enough interest in the players once they were dropped. He also said Key did not communicate with him before his central contract expired, claiming he was told there were “100 more important things to do”.
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RCB’s big changes ahead of IPL: New rules, tribute and squad update Responding to England’s Ashes review following the 1-4 loss in Australia, Key said: “Look, I’m not going to get into private conversations. Obviously there’s another side to this conversation as I’ve seen it. What I said to Liam at the end of what was a pretty irritating phone call to say the least (it was), there’s no way I can see the player Liam being selected as Liam.”Key added that Livingstone has been discussed for a return during the limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup and will remain in the mix if he plays.“We debated him for the Sri Lanka series. Liam Livingstone is very much a player we’d like to see back to his best, scoring runs and then back in the England set-up,” he told Sky Sports.He also pointed out that Livingstone was once considered a leader. “We thought so much of him to make him captain at one stage when we didn’t have all the senior players there,” Key said, referring to the ODI series against West Indies at the end of 2024.“That’s how we thought of him. I still have plenty of time for Liam Livingstone and there’s no reason for someone at 32 to have his England career over,” he added.Livingstone previously described the team’s environment as a clique, saying: “If you’re in, you’re in, and if you’re not in, nobody cares about you.” Key dismissed the claim, saying such reactions are expected when players are left out.“You’re always going to have moments where, unfortunately, in these roles — especially when you’re fighting — you’re always going to get back at people you pissed off along the way, and that’s perfectly fine,” Key said.He also noted that it is impossible to keep everyone happy in such roles. “But at the end of the day, Liam Livingstone, or any of these players at the start of the summer in county cricket, have a chance to play for England,” he added.Livingstone arrived in India for the Indian Premier League to play for Sunrisers Hyderabad after being signed for Rs 13 crore. His team will start their campaign against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the team they 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 of over 182, including four fifties. In the following three seasons, he managed 502 runs in 27 matches at an average of 22.81, with three fifties and a strike rate of over 150.In England last year, he scored 74 runs in five T20Is at an average of 14.80 and a strike rate of 127.58, with a top score of 43.His performances in the domestic competitions helped him regain 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 the Vitality Blast for Lancashire he made 260 runs at an average of 52 with a strike rate of over 176 and picked up six wickets.
