England’s all-rounder Liam Livingstone feels that he’s starting a new career after more than two years of injury setbacks. He rushed back to feature in England’s 2022 T20 World Cup triumph but injured his knee a few weeks later in his lone Test appearance in Pakistan.
He has problems with form and fitness which forced England to leave Livingstone from their ODI squad, but was named in England’s T20I squad against Australia.
He picked 3 wickets and scored 37 runs off 27 balls, although his contributions were not enough to prevent 28 run loss. Travis Head’s impressive fifty put Australia in top helping the visitors to win in the first T20Is.
“I feel like a little kid again, I feel like I’m starting a new career, to be honest,” Livingstone said. “Life with niggles is not very fun.
“Mentally, more than anything, it feels really nice to be back playing cricket pain-free and I think, if I get back to my best, I feel like I’m an asset to any cricket team I play in.
✌ in ✌
Live clips: https://t.co/VBs6UZifLQ
🏴 #ENGvAUS 🇦🇺 @liaml4893 pic.twitter.com/ZGPkFirw8b
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 11, 2024
“I’m back playing cricket with a smile on my face, that’s when I play at my best. Fingers crossed it stays that way for a while.”
Liam Livingstone was considered a finisher in white-ball cricket whose aggressive batting style made him valuable at the end of the matches.
“Series like these where you get an opportunity further up the order, it’s a chance for me to stake my claim,” he said.
“I guess winning games of T20 cricket for England may enhance my chances of getting back into the one-day team. But it is what it is, I’m 31, I’m not going to sit here and cry about not being picked.”
Coming to the present, England and Australia will be playing their second T20I match on September 13 at Sophia Gardens.
