Southampton: England all-rounder Liam Livingstone is looking to use his recent promotion to England’s T20I team as a platform to reclaim his spot in the ODI squad. Despite England’s preference to use him as a finisher in the last three T20 World Cups. Livingstone also showed his capability of delivering an all-rounder performance in Wednesday’s match against Australia at the Utilita Bowl. He top-scored with his 37 runs knock in Batting at No. 4, while also picking up 3 for 22 by putting his leg-breaks to optimum use.

After the conclusion of the T20I series, Australia and England will engage in the upcoming five-match ODI series. Even though Livingstone was excluded from England’s squad, he is keenly interested in making his return to the ODI format. ” I want to play as much cricket for England as possibly I can. Unfortunately, I won’t be playing in the ODI formats, but it’s still not something I’m going to give up on. Because of my health issue, I’ve had a difficult couple of years. My injury has probably let me down a little bit. Maybe with a couple of niggles here and there, I haven’t been up to scratch physically” Livingstone said

“I really don’t know – that’s one of my challenges. That’s why I’m happy that I’ve got an opportunity in the batting order to be number four in the T20I. I really feel like I’ve shown over the last couple of weeks, maybe a month, that the longer I get to bat in series, the more of a chance I have to affect the upcoming games.

I feel like I’ve done that in ODI cricket as well:  I feel like I’d done that further down the order if you take away the World Cup. But it is what it is. I’m 31, I’m not going to sit here and cry about not being picked up for the series. Around the world, there’s plenty of cricket to be played, and if I’m not involved in the ODI format, then there are plenty more opportunities for me to play” he said.

Livingstone burst onto the scene in 2021 against Pakistan with a jaw-dropping 42-ball century and an unforgettable 117-meter six off Haris Rauf. His aggressive style earned him accolades in both Franchise leagues and international cricket with standout performances in the Hundred and the IPL. But after a series of injuries—he endured an ankle injury ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup and a right knee injury on his Test debut in Pakistan—his form has dipped, and his place in England’s plans has come into question.

Now Livingstone sees this T20I series as a critical opportunity to prove his worth, “100 percent, I can run around in the field. I can bowl and bat to the best of my ability, which is something I haven’t been able to do probably for two-and-a-half years. I want that responsibility. I want to win games of cricket for England, and the higher up the order, the more chance you have of doing that,” he said.