Liam Livingstone’s Crucial Role in England’s T20 World Cup Campaign
In the fast-paced world of T20 cricket, it’s not always easy for players to make an impact when they face limited deliveries or bowl only a few overs. However, England all-rounder Liam Livingstone is determined to fulfill his role during the T20 World Cup, despite the challenges it presents.
Livingstone has batted just 33 balls in three innings across three different venues in this tournament, scoring 61 runs at a strike rate of 184.84. While the numbers might not be staggering, the 29-year-old is disappointed, particularly with his dismissal against South Africa, where he hit a full toss into the wind, leaving England needing 25 off the final 16 balls to win.
“It’s a bit different,” Livingstone admits. “I don’t really have the most glamorous role in this team, to be honest. I guess my role in the team is to be there, bang on it whenever I’m needed.”
Despite the limited opportunities, Livingstone has made the most of his chances, as evidenced by his spell of 4-0-24-1 against the USA, where his off-breaks and leg-breaks troubled the left-handed and right-handed batters, respectively. “Even the game against the West Indies, having bowled that one over, getting the wicket of Rovman Powell, I’d probably rather take that 1 for 20 than none for 4 or something,” he said.
The mental aspect of this role is perhaps the biggest challenge for Livingstone, who has been used to being more involved in the game throughout his career. “It’s something that takes a bit of getting used to more mentally than anything else, and that’s why I was so disappointed the other day that I didn’t finish it off against South Africa because I felt like that was my time in the tournament, my chance in the tournament to really win us a game.”
Despite the disappointment, Livingstone remains optimistic and believes he is in a good place with both bat and ball. “Thankfully the last two games I feel like I struck the ball pretty well against South Africa and I feel like I bowled pretty well today. So I guess they’re the last two performances with bat and ball. I feel like I’m in a really good place.”
As he continues to adapt to his unique role, Livingstone has found support in the form of veteran all-rounder Kieron Pollard, who has been sharing his experience of playing a similar position. “Having Polly [Kieron Pollard] around has made things a little bit easier for me, having someone who’s done the role for so long, being able to speak to him about that.”
The physical challenges of this role are also not to be overlooked, as Livingstone has had to deal with injuries in the past. However, the all-rounder is pleased that his body is holding up well, and he is determined to make the most of any opportunity that comes his way in the remaining matches of the World Cup.
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