england cricket

‘You’ve Got My Number, Mate’ – England Managing Director Mocks RCB Star for ‘Lack of Communication’ Comments

Sandip Pawar

Last updated: August 23, 2025

3 min read

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) recently announced three squads for the upcoming white-ball series against South Africa and Ireland. Liam Livingstone, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star could not find a place in any of the squads.

The star all-rounder was part of the England team in March during the Champions Trophy 2025. He was dropped from both ODIs and T20Is for the West Indies series, which took place in July. He expressed his disappointment on being on the sidelines since. In particular, the lack of communication from the management has left him with uncertainty.

Livingstone had earlier revealed that there has been no contact from the England managing director Rob Key, head coach Brendon McCullum, and captain Harry Brook. Key has now hit back for those comments.

Rob Key wants Liam Livingstone to be consistent to get back in England side

Speaking on the Sky Sports podcast with Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton, Rob Key discussed the absence of Sam Curran and Livingstone from the recent white-ball squads. He said the pair has had a fair run for a couple of years. Even though they’re not picked recently, they are not out of the schemes.

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Addressing Livingstone’s recent comments, Key joked that he is 32 years of age and can call the management himself.

“I saw something [Livingstone] said the other day that he’s not heard anything since being dropped. I don’t know if he’s got a phone, if he’s allowed to ring, he’s 32 years of age – it’s not hard,” Key joked.

“If you want to find out where you are, you’ve got my number mate,” he said.

Liam Livingstone pushes his case for recall with The Hundred 2025 performance

Liam Livingstone has delivered an outstanding season for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred 2025. He has made an impact with both bat and ball. He is the third leading run-scorer in the tournament with 227 runs at an average of 56.75 while striking at 166.91. The all-rounder has also taken four wickets at an economy of 9.17.

Key acknowledged the form the Phoenix captain is in currently but expects more consistency.

“Livy has just got to play the way he has done in The Hundred this year. That’s been brilliant to see, as runs are your currency. He’s a fantastic cricketer and you want someone like Liam Livingstone around. He just needs to find that consistency,” Key added.

“He doesn’t need to ring me now, there you go.”

Livingstone has played 60 T20Is and 39 ODIs for England, and has even led the side in the absence of the then captain Jos Buttler. With the T20 World Cup coming up early next year, he will be in the mix if he can continue to deliver consistent performances.