England Cricket Board’s (ECB) managing director Rob Key has responded to comments made by all-rounder Liam Livingstone, saying the player remains in contention for selection despite his recent criticism of the team management.Livingstone, who has not played international cricket since England’s winless campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy under former captain Jos Buttler, had told ESPNCricinfo that the management, including Key and head coach Brendon McCullum, did not show enough concern for players once they were dropped. He also said Key did not communicate with him before his central contract expired, claiming he was told there were “100 more important things to do”.
Responding after England’s Ashes review, which followed a 1-4 loss in Australia, Key said: “Look, I am not going to go into private conversations. Obviously, there is another side to that conversation as I saw it. What I did say to Liam at the end of what was a fairly tetchy phone call to say the least [was that] there is no way I see a player of Liam Livingstone’s ability not being up for selection for England.”Key added that Livingstone had been discussed for a return during the limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup and remains in the mix, provided he performs.“We debated him for the Sri Lanka series. Liam Livingstone is very much a player that we would love to see back to his best, scoring runs, and then back in the England set-up,” he said while talking to Sky Sports.He also pointed out that Livingstone was once considered for leadership responsibilities. “We thought as much of him [as] to make him captain at one stage, when we didn’t have all the senior players there,” Key said, referring to an ODI series against West Indies in late 2024.“That is how highly we thought of him. I still have a huge amount of time for Liam Livingstone, and there is no reason that someone at 32 years of age, their England career should be over,” he added.Livingstone had earlier described the team environment as a clique, saying, “If you are in, you are in, and if you are not in, no-one cares about you.” Key rejected that claim and said such reactions are expected when players are left out.“You are always going to have times where, unfortunately, in these roles – especially when you’re struggling – you are always going to have people that you have upset along the way coming back at you, and that is absolutely fine,” Key said.He also noted that it is not possible to keep everyone satisfied in such roles. “But ultimately, Liam Livingstone, or any of these players at the start of the summer in county cricket, they are a chance to play for England,” he added.Livingstone has arrived in India for the Indian Premier League, where he will play for Sunrisers Hyderabad after being signed for Rs 13 crore. His side will begin their campaign against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, a team he represented last season.He had a strong IPL season in 2022 with Punjab Kings, scoring 437 runs in 14 innings at an average of 36.42 and a strike rate above 182, including four fifties. In the following three seasons, he managed 502 runs in 27 matches at an average of 22.81, with three fifties and a strike rate above 150.For England last year, he scored 74 runs in five T20Is at an average of 14.80 and a strike rate of 127.58, with a highest score of 43.His performances in domestic competitions helped him regain attention ahead of the IPL auction. Playing for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred, he scored 241 runs at an average of 40.16 and took seven wickets. In the Vitality Blast for Lancashire, he made 260 runs at an average of 52 with a strike rate above 176 and picked up six wickets.
