T20 World Cup 2021 | Liam Livingstone in doubt for England’s tournament opener against West Indies
Liam Livingstone is in doubt for England's tournament opener
|Liam Livingstone suffered a finger injury during the warm-up match against India while dropping a catch at deep mid-wicket. He is now in doubt for England’s first match in the tournament against West Indies and his injury will be assessed in the next 24 hours once the swelling comes down.
India won in the practice match against England by seven wickets and it was a complete team performance by them. Batting first, England scored 188 runs. Jonny Bairstow was the highest run-scorer for the team with 49 runs from 36 balls. Liam Livingstone scored 30 runs from 20 balls. He also picked a wicket for 10 runs in his two overs. Livingstone suffered a finger injury while dropping a catch at deep midwicket and swelling on the little finger of his left hand was visible.Â
According to ESPNcricinfo, an England spokesperson said that the injury would be assessed "in next 24 hours" once the swelling had gone down.
Livingstone left the field alongside England Physio in the match against India. Sam Billings was the substitute fielder in place of him. With the finger injury, it is highly unlikely that he will play the second warm-up match against New Zealand. Also, he is in doubt for England’s tournament opener against West Indies. Moeen Ali reflecting on the injury to Livingstone has said that he thinks that his teammate is all right.Â
"I think he's alright.I think it's just bruising on the back of the hand but I think he'll be fine. Obviously, it was a bit of a scare at the time but he said it was fine, so hopefully, he's all good. He's a brilliant player - he's been playing really well over the last couple of years. Hopefully, he can carry that form into the World Cup and I feel like it's going be a big stage for him," he stated.Â
Livingstone is one of England’s three spin options. He becomes a more important player as Ben Stokes and Sam Curran both are missing the World Cup and he provides an important all-round option to the team. Livingstone was the highest run-scorer in the Hundred with 348 runs in 9 matches and is an impactful batsman in the shorter format of the game.Â
