ENG v PAK 2021: Livingstone admits he has been reckless throughout his career, needs to get better at consistency

Liam Livingstone slammed 103 off 43 balls in the T20I series opener against Pakistan..

England batsman Liam Livingstone, who slammed his maiden T20I ton in the series opener against Pakistan at Trent Bridge, admitted that he needs to be more consistent to cement his place in the side.

Livingstone slammed a century in just 42 balls – fastest by an England player in the shortest format – but failed to take the hosts over the line while chasing the target of 233.

"Throughout my career I've been someone who has been a little bit more reckless. I've obviously got an ability to strike the ball but the thing I need to get better at is consistency. It's a technical thing, but mentally it helps to be able to stay calm when you're under pressure in a situation like I was tonight and swing a little bit less hard, knowing that you're in a better position to swing through the ball," ESPNcricinfo quoted Livingstone as saying.

When asked about playing at a small ground like Trent Bridge, Livingstone said: "That's the reason that we travel around playing in these different competitions: to try and get experience of playing in different countries. Playing in the Big Bash sets you up really well for when you go over and play in Australia, and it's the same with the PSL and the IPL and playing in the subcontinent."

"I've been guilty of it before -- looking too far ahead -- and it gets me nowhere so it's certainly not something I'll be doing. I love being around this environment -- you can come in and be yourself, and there's no pressure to be like anyone else -- and hopefully I can stay in it for a little bit longer," he added.

Invited to bat first, the visitors piled up a mammoth 232/6 in 20 overs on the back of skipper Babar Azam’s 49-ball 85 and Mohammad Rizwan’s 31-ball 63. The duo added 150 runs for the opening wicket to lead the foundation for a huge total.

Defending the total, Pakistan bowlers bowled out the mighty English batting line-up for 201 in 19.2 overs. Livingstone was the lone warrior with the bat for the home team, scoring 103 off just 43 deliveries.

For the tourists, Shaheen Afridi was the stand-out bowler, claiming 3 wickets by conceding 30 runs in his 3.2 overs. Shadab Khan (3-52) also took 3 wickets by he was quite expensive with the ball while Mohammad Hasnain (1-28) bowled an economical spell.

With this victory, Pakistan took a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series. The second game will be held at Headingley on Sunday (July 18).