He was the top run-scorer for Birmingham Phoenix.
England all-rounder Liam Livingstone was sidelined from the white-ball side in the aftermath of the Champions Trophy 2025. He has since been left out of the West Indies series and the upcoming South Africa series.
Things aren’t well between Livingstone and the England team management as he openly spoke about lack of communication from the top brass. The men’s managing director Rob Key then hit back with his remarks, stating that the 32-year old just needs to keep on piling runs.
Leading Birmingham Phoenix, Livingstone has done an excellent job but will that be enough to earn a recall with T20 World Cup 2026 coming up remains to be seen.
Birmingham Phoenix failed to make it into the playoffs, winning three out of eight games. But Livingstone produced an excellent season, making an impact with both bat and ball.
Batting at number four, he amassed 241 runs across eight innings at an average of 40 while striking at 155. His campaign included one half-century, blasting 69 not out in 29 deliveries against Oval Invincibles. In four of the eight innings, he struck 39 or more runs.
WATCH NOW! ⏯️
— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 12, 2025
Liam Livingstone has just scored 26 runs off 5 Rashid Khan balls! 🤯#TheHundred pic.twitter.com/fstSjKPa13
With the ball, he picked up seven wickets at an economy of 7.36, with best figures of 2 for 11 versus Manchester Originals. These all-round returns must have caught the attention of the team management.
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The T20 World Cup 2026 will take place in India and Sri Lanka, where spin all-rounders will be great assets. Livingstone has the ability to bowl both off-spin and leg-spin, which makes him an exciting option.
In the most recent T20 series, England played captain Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, and Tom Banton at number 4-7. Of those, Jacks and Banton are predominantly top order batters, and playing as finishers isn’t something they have much experience of.
Livingstone has that experience, having done it for England and in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He likes to bat slightly higher to get his eye in but with Brook at number four, he’ll have to settle at five if he gets a recall. His experience of playing in the middle order in the IPL could be vital in the T20 World Cup 2026.
It is no secret that Livingstone is a great package on paper. He is one of the cleanest strikers in the world and offers flexibility. His bowling can also be valuable. It is why England kept backing him for the last three years. He has even captained England in the absence of the previous skipper Jos Buttler.
The all-rounder lost his place after the management’s patience ran out. They expect better consistency from him and The Hundred 2025 campaign could be the start of it. There is certainly a spot open for him, at least in the T20I side.
