During this T20 World Cup, Liam Livingstone has only hit 33 balls in three innings at three different venues. Despite his impressive strike rate of 184.84 and his 61 runs, he is a dejected man. Greetings from the world of a lower-middle order hitter in this brief and intense competition with prolonged deliveries.
His 33 off 17 against South Africa, when he struck a full toss into a stiff wind and England needed 25 off 16, is what most disappoints him. They were unsuccessful. Liam Livingstone did not bat in the next match, which was a must-win for England, but he did contribute with the ball as his off-breaks to left-hand hitters and leg-breaks to right-hand batters produced a score of 4-0-24-1.
Liam Livingstone Wants To Contribute More.
The problem with slower pitches is that while the top order tries to bat deeper, the No. 7 gets to bat when things are dire and/or need to be urgently adjusted to a variety of difficult-to-train-for situations. Following his four-over burst against the USA, Liam Livingstone was questioned about his feelings regarding the event.
“It’s a bit different,” Liam Livingstone said.
“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. And 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.
“It’s a different role to what I’ve been used to my whole 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. Hopefully there’s a time still to come.
“It’s different: bowl when I’m needed, don’t always bat in the games that are finished quite quickly. I guess it’s more a mental challenge for me over the last few months of making sure that I’m right on it whenever I’m needed.”
Because elite cricket players are fiercely competitive athletes who have reached this point by participating in as much play as they can, it is challenging.
“As a kid, I always wanted to be involved,” Liam Livingstone said. “That’s the reason I started bowling a few years back. Bating at seven and bowling one over every couple of games or whatever … that’s where the hard bit comes because you want to try and get involved in the game. But yeah, it’s the role that I’m playing in this team and the best way for me to do well for the team is making sure that I’m right on it whenever I’m needed.
“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. So who knows, hopefully I’m not needed in the next two games and we can win a World Cup, but if I am needed, I feel like I’m in a decent place.”
Importance Of Taking The Team Over The Line.
Even if you hit the ball effectively on that infrequent opportunity, you are supposed to win the game, which Liam Livingstone failed to do. However, as of this World Cup, nobody has managed to get 100 runs while batting at positions six and seven.
“Look, I’m in the team to finish off games with the bat and try and get wickets with the ball when we feel like we’re struggling for one,” Liam Livingstone said. “So yeah, I’m always going to be harsh on myself. I had the chance to finish the game off the other day and didn’t quite do it. But yeah, I feel like I was hitting the ball really well.
I felt like I was bowling really well. I guess the most pleasing thing for me over the last two or three years is my body feels really good, and that’s the biggest pleasing thing for me. If there’s an opportunity to affect a game of cricket over the next one or two games, then hopefully I’m ready to do that.”
It’s difficult to train for such a role too. Without giving away secrets, Liam Livingstone shed some light on his process. “Anything that you do for a living, you’ve got to find a way to train for that,”
“My training’s been a bit different. You’ve got to try and put yourself in pressure situations. 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. I guess I’ve kind of enjoyed the challenge of not getting loads of opportunities, but when it comes, trying to make sure I can deliver.”
Liam Livingstone On Physical Demands Of The Game.
It’s common to keep the physical demands of this profession quiet. Two years ago in the IPL, Liam Livingstone came dangerously close to breaking his knee. He nearly hurt his side in this competition.
“Touch wood, a lot of wood,” Livingstone said when asked if his side was fine. “Yeah, my knee’s been really good. I had the same sort of thing in an IPL a couple of years ago when I missed the ball, and I think it comes from sitting down for a couple of hours and then trying to hit the ball out the ground first ball.
“Yeah, my side feels alright. My knee is really good, which is most pleasing thing for me. So fingers crossed, the last couple of years of niggles are behind me and I’m back enjoying my cricket and that’s the main thing for me. So playing with a smile on my face, which is something that I always used to do.”
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