Rain has two forms. When it is raining, the players are forced to go off the field and play has to be halted. But when it is raining fours and sixes, the game throws back pure entertainment. And that is what happened in the third quarter-final of the Vitality Blast. Lancashire registered a three-wicket victory over Kent and booked a berth in the semi-final. Though the game went almost down to the wire, it was sealed off by an Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star, who is extremely difficult to stop once he gets going.
The quarter-final between Kent and Lancashire was all about Liam Livingstone. The English all-rounder played a fiery knock of an unbeaten 85, which came off just 45 deliveries. In a situation where the team needed 154 runs for victory, Livingstone smashed more than 50% of the required runs all by himself. His knock consisted four boundaries and seven humongous sixes. The positions which Livingstone gets into while connecting the ball enables him to launch.
The RCB star walked out to bat at No.4, when the team was in a spot of bother. Lancashire lost the first two wickets for a mere five runs. The game could have easily slipped away from their hands. In the fifth over, Keaton Jennings fell with the team score at 31. Ashton Turner and Michael Jones made small contributions on the road to Lancashire’s chase. But Livingstone took it to another level. He kept going after the bowling, and got his team home with nine deliveries to spare.
All said and done, the 32-year-old has drifted away from the English setup. He last featured in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and has not played a single international game since March this year. Moreover, his central contract is due to end next year. As per Livingstone, he does not have any clarity from the Board so as to what his position is in the side. He stated that he got a call from Brendon McCullum to inform that he was dropped. But there has been zero communication ever since.
However, the RCB star firmly believes that he would love to contribute for his national side. Livingstone has no doubts that he still has a lot of cricket left in him. With the T20 World Cup next year, he would be hopeful to hear back from the England Cricket Board (ECB). It is no doubt that a player of his calibre being left out is disappointing. The Three Lions have been using him for the finisher’s role in white-ball cricket, and those are exactly the skills he has been showcasing.
But it might not be as easy as it looks. England are currently promoting the likes of Will Jacks and Jacob Bethell as the future of their all-round options. Bethell has also been named the captain of the side for a T20I series. This might be a slight indication for the RCB star. There is uncertainty around what could happen. But with performances like these, it is sure that Livingstone will raise his stocks to be retained next year for the current IPL champions.
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The English all-rounder is difficult to stop once he gets going with the bat. And the bowlers from Kent were under the pump in the quarter-final. In 10 innings in the recent Indian Premier League (IPL) season, Livingstone was able to manage 112 runs. Though the number of runs wasn’t huge, the rate at which he struck them did make a difference on certain occasions.
Livingstone is also very crafty with the ball in hand. On most occasions, he can give his skipper the complete quota of four overs. He possesses a unique skill of bowling both off-break and leg-break deliveries. Livingstone generally tends to bowl off-break to left-handers and leg-break to right handers. What this does is, it helps to take the ball away from the batter after pitching, making it more difficult for the batter to connect. Also, it forces the batter to play against the spin, which batters look to do a lot in the shortest format.
To add to that, the RCB all-rounder is a live wire in the field. He is really quick off the surface and also has a powerful arm, to generate impactful throws. Come the next IPL season, Livingstone can be a good fit alongside Jitesh Sharma towards the later end of the innings. It will help the franchise keep their winning combination intact, and will also make sure that they keep a quality all-rounder who is as handy with the ball in hand.
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