Liam Livingstone: what injury did England cricket star sustain - and will he be fit for T20 World Cup opener?

England played their first warm-up match against India ahead of their Twenty20 World Cup campaign which will kick off on Saturday 23 October 2021.

England suffered a six wicket defeat to India despite an impressive unbeaten 43 from 20 balls from Moeen Ali and 49 off 34 balls from Jonny Bairstow.

India then came into the attack and Ishan Kishan top scored making 70 from 46 balls. KL Rahul also impressed, scoring 51 off 24.

England’s six wicket loss was not, however, the only misfortune of the day as Liam Livingstone was forced to leave the field towards the end of the match with a bruised finger.

Eoin Morgan’s side is already mourning the loss of Sam Curran, Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes who are missing out on the World Cup due to their own injuries and will therefore remain exceptionally hopeful that Liam Livingstone will not become the fourth player on that list.

What happened to all-rounder Liam Livingstone in the warm-up match against India?

The 28-year-old all-rounder had been performing well up to the point of his injury, scoring 30 runs off 20 balls and taking the vital wicket of India’s captain Virat Kohli in his two overs with the ball.

In the 16th over of India’s chase, Livingstone dropped top-scorer Kishan in the deep, immediately flinching with pain, and left the field being replaced by Sam Billings.

What’s been said about Livingstone’s injury?

Speaking to the press after the match, team-mate Moeen Ali said “I think he’s alright. I don’t know a lot about it but he seemed to be fine. I think it’s just bruising.

“He was hit on the back of the hand. Obviously it was a scare at the time, but he said he was fine so hopefully it’s good.

“He’s a brilliant player, he’s been playing really well over the last couple of years so I hope he can carry that form into the World Cup. I feel like it’s going to be a big stage for him.”

England’s medical team will wait for the swelling to subside before releasing any further news on Livingstone’s condition and whether he will be available to play in the opening match of England’s T20 World Cup.

How vital is Liam Livingstone to England’s T20 squad.

Livingstone has been in and out of the England one-day squads since 2017 but his recent form, most notably in The Hundred, has seen the Lancashire all-rounder become more of a key player. In Livingstone’s first T20I match after a four year absence, he smacked away a 42-ball century against Pakistan which is the fastest by any England player in T20I cricket.

England will most definitely be anxious going into the T20 World Cup without their leading all-rounder Ben Stokes who is taking an indefinite break from cricket to focus on his mental health and recover from an on-going injury in his left index finger. Livingstone has therefore been tipped to take on a more crucial role in the squad as a middle-order hard hitting batsman and mixed spin bowler.

Liam Livingstone had a phenomenal summer captaining his Hundred squad, the Birmingham Phoenix, just missing out on the Trophy to the Southern Brave in an exciting final.

He was the top scorer of the tournament, making 348 runs, over 100 more runs than the next top scorer, while also striking 27 sixes including 10 in one match.

When are England next playing?

England have their second warm-up match against New Zealand on Wednesday 20 October 2021, which Livingstone will now be expected to miss.

Eoin Morgan’s side will be hopeful that Livingstone will be available for their first competitive match of the tournament against current T20 World Cup champions the West Indies on Saturday 23 October 2021.

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. NationalWorld is a new national news brand, produced by a team of journalists, editors, video producers and designers who live and work across the UK. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going. You can also sign up to our newsletters and get a curated selection of our best reads to your inbox every day.