Liam Livingstone has sharply criticised the current England setup, saying ‘no-one cares about you’ and that he ‘doesn’t miss’ playing for his country. The 32-year-old, who has exactly 100 international caps across Tests, ODIs and T20s, has been out of the England side for more than a year and appears resigned to remaining on the outside.
In a wide-ranging interview with ESPN Cricinfo, Livingstone was scathing about his interactions with director of cricket Rob Key and described his time at last year’s Champions Trophy as ‘the worst experience I’ve had playing cricket.’ The England and Wales Cricket Board says it does not regard his international career as over and would consider him again if his performances merit selection. The ECB’s review into the Ashes defeat, looking at tour planning, preparation, performance and post-tour behaviours, remains ongoing.
Livingstone recounted a brief phone call from head coach Brendon McCullum last May informing him he had been dropped. ‘I don’t think it would have reached a minute,’ he said. ‘I asked why; they said they wanted to try someone else.’ He added that captain Harry Brook sent a text. On his dealings with Key, Livingstone said Key ‘said nothing, said I’ll speak to you in the summer. I actually rang him one day, and he said he was busy at a Test camp at Loughborough and then I didn’t hear off him until the end of September.’ He suggested that silence was revealing: ‘That probably sums that group up as a collective. That was a bit of an eye‑opening experience about the group and the regime.’
‘If you’re in, you’re in, and if you’re not in, no-one cares about you,’ Livingstone said. He added that when he asked for guidance he was told he ‘cares too much’ and needed to ‘chill out a little bit.’ The ECB has said it believes Livingstone misinterpreted aspects of that conversation.
On the franchise circuit Livingstone remains highly sought after, reportedly attracting around a £1m Indian Premier League offer from Sunrisers Hyderabad and a £350,000 bid from London Spirit at the recent Hundred auction. ‘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.’
Reflecting on the recent T20 World Cup, where England reached the semi‑finals, Livingstone said bluntly: ‘I didn’t miss it one bit. There wasn’t any part of me that was wishing I was playing in that team, to be honest.’
Last summer he told Sky Sports News that ‘nobody has really reached out to me to tell me what I need to do or any reasons why.’ Rob Key responded on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast with a jocular challenge: ‘I saw something (Livingstone) said the other day that he’s not heard anything since being dropped. I don’t know if he’s got a phone, if he’s allowed to ring, he’s 32 years of age – it’s not hard. If you want to find out where you are, you’ve got my number mate.’ Key added praise for Livingstone’s talent but urged him to find consistency.