Liam Livingstone slams England management for lack of communication
What's the story
England all-rounder Liam Livingstone has opened up about his strained relationship with the national team's management. In a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, he claimed that he has had no meaningful contact with them since his last international appearance 12 months ago. Livingstone was dropped from England's white-ball teams last summer after a poor run of form during a tour to India and the Champions Trophy.
Discontent
England players don't care about others: Livingstone
Livingstone has accused the England management of disrespect and avoiding difficult conversations. He said, "I don't think it [the call] would have reached a minute. I asked why; they said they wanted to try someone else." He also claimed that no one from the team cares about players outside an inner circle. The all-rounder described last year's Champions Trophy as "the worst experience" of his career and criticized his assigned role as a waste of potential.
Uncertainty
Will he play for England again?
Despite a lucrative ₹13 crore contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, Livingstone's future in international cricket remains uncertain. He said he doesn't think he'll play for England again under the current management. "I still believe I'm one of the best players in white-ball cricket in England," he said. "Just because I'm not playing for England, because of a couple of people's opinions, it doesn't mean that I'm not good enough to do it."
Frustration
Livingstone's experience with England coaches
Livingstone also opened up about his experience with England's coaches. He said when he asked them for advice, they told him not to worry so much. "I was asking for help and pretty much all I got was that I care too much and I need to chill out a little bit, and everything will take care of itself," he said. The all-rounder stressed on the difficulty of reaching international cricket and how parents sacrifice a lot for their children's dreams.
Aspirations
Frustration over batting order
Livingstone captained England less than 18 months ago in a ODI series against West Indies. He scored an unbeaten 124 in their only win. However, he expressed frustration at being pushed down the batting order after big players returned to the squad. "One of my frustrations with playing for England was whenever I went up the order, I did really well," he said.
Response
Key invited him to call during last summer's fallout
When Livingstone said last summer that he didn't know where he stood with England, Key invited him to call. They spoke once more in late September when Key told Livingstone that his central contract wouldn't be renewed. When Livingstone asked about the lack of communication over the summer, he said Key told him he had "100 more important things to do than speak to you."