Liam Livingstone pulls out of IPL auction to stake his claim for England Test team
Lancashire's Liam Livingstone, who was recently released by Rajasthan Royals, has withdrawn from the upcoming IPL auction citing his ambition to play Test cricket for England. The 26-year-old has decided to play a full season of Division One County Cricket in Lancashire to make it to the Test team.
One of the highly-rated T20 players in England, Livingstone broke to the England Test squad for the New Zealand series in 2017-18 but he failed to get a Test cap. However, his T20 credentials are never in doubt where he has made a solid name for himself which saw him being picked by Rajasthan Royals last season. Playing four matches for them, Livingstone made 71 runs, including a highest score of 44 off 26 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Cricinfo has reported that the Royals were interested in retaining him but Livingstone decided to part ways in mutual consent and will not put his name forward for the 2020 edition of the tournament. Still only 26, the Lancashire batsman feels that his performance in the County Championship can help move higher in the pecking order for the England Test selection.
"I loved the experience of playing in the IPL. But I have decided to put a renewed focus on first-class cricket next summer. I am committed to improving my game in all formats and I still have hopes of playing Test cricket; the best way to achieve that is by impressing in Division One," Livingstone was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
"I hugely enjoyed being part of the County Championship side last season. The lads played some exceptional red-ball cricket and I am optimistic about what we can achieve together moving forward."
He had a lean 2018, in which he could only muster a total of 336 Championship runs at 24.00 and failed to reach the half century mark as Lancashire were relegated from Division One. However, he relinquished the captaincy duties and averaged 46.07 next season.
"To have Liam available for the start of the season is welcome news. He is a senior member of the changing room and undoubtedly improves our side in first-class cricket. With an enhanced focus on County Championship cricket in the early months of the 2020 season, we need to ensure we hit the ground running on our return to what will be a competitive Division One. Liam's availability will help us to achieve this," Paul Allott, Lancashire's director of cricket, said.
Now, Livingstone will be available to play for Lancashire for the entire County Championship and T20 Blast seasons, but won't be available for the One-Day Cup due to his commitments in the Hundred.
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