Ahead of his England comeback after four years, Liam Livingstone said for the first time feels he’s ready for international cricket and to prove his maturity following worthwhile contributions with the bat in the T20 leagues across the world.
The right-hander, who can also bowl a bit of leg and off-spin, has been added to England squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Team India starting Friday (March 12) in Ahmedabad.
The 27-year-old hasn’t played for England since his two poor T20I appearances against South Africa in 2017; however, he finally managed to earn a long-awaited England recall for the upcoming five-match T20I series in India on the back of his recent exploits in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2020-2021.
He made a strong case for himself to make comeback to international cricket after a gap of nearly 4 years following his brilliant performance for the Perth Scorchers, scoring 426 runs in BBL 10, as well as the eye-catching show in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and Mzanzi Super League in recent seasons.
Livingstone said in a media interaction on Wednesday, “I am a very different player and a very different person since then (2017). The experience that you get by playing franchise cricket around the world is pretty valuable when you come back to playing international cricket.”
The Lancashire opener further added, “For the first time in my carrier I feel like I belong in this environment. I was pretty immature back then. I am back to enjoying my cricket.”
He is ready to play at any position for England, as he might not get to open in India T20Is, given the strength of the England squad. Liam added: “We have got so many world-class players in English Cricket. I pride myself on being flexible. Wherever I get the opportunity, I will be ready to take to it.”
Meanwhile, Livingstone is looking forward to adding to his four games in the upcoming IPL 2021 after being bought back by Rajasthan Royals in the recent IPL auction earlier this year.
The Englishman further noted, “I have spent time in the IPL, two Big Bashes as well as Pakistan Super League. Playing with different players around the world, how they go about their stuff is quite an experience. Franchise cricket is a great way to learn.”
Earlier, he used to bowl only off-spin but he is now developed as a leg spinner as well, and explaining the reason behind the same, the cricketer said: “I spent a lot of time working on my leg-spin. Playing at Old Trafford helped (considering it is spin-friendly). It is something I want to continue to work on and hopefully in the next couple of years, I can develop into a proper all-rounder.”
About the morale of the English dressing after the Test series loss to India, he said: “It is a different squad with different players. Fresh people bring more energy into the side. We have played some great white ball cricket of late and we want to continue doing that.”
Livingstone signed off by saying, “The series also gives us a chance to work out the pitches (ahead of the World Cup later this year). We have got a pretty full-strength side against the best team in the world. It will be a good test ahead of the World Cup.”
(With PTI Inputs)
