Liam Livingstone has delivered a damning assessment of his treatment under England's current cricket leadership, claiming that once players fall out of favour, 'no one cares about you'. The Lancashire all-rounder, who has 100 international caps, has not played for England in over a year and appears resigned to his exclusion.
In an interview with Cricinfo, the 32-year-old criticised interactions with director of cricket Rob Key and head coach Brendon McCullum. Livingstone described his experience at last year's Champions Trophy as 'the worst experience I've had playing cricket' and said he did not miss the recent T20 World Cup. He was dropped from the 2025-26 central contract list.
Livingstone recounted a brief phone call from McCullum in May last year informing him of his omission. 'I don't think it would have reached a minute. I asked why; they said they wanted to try someone else,' Livingstone said. He added that Key did not contact him until September, despite promises to speak in the summer. 'That probably sums that group up as a collective... if you're in, you're in, and if you're not in, no one cares about you.'
Despite his international exile, Livingstone remains in demand on the franchise circuit, with a £1m Indian Premier League deal from Sunrisers Hyderabad and a £350,000 bid from London Spirit at the Hundred auction. He retains confidence in his abilities, stating: 'I still believe I'm one of the best players in white-ball cricket in England.'
The England and Wales Cricket Board's Ashes review, covering tour planning and player performance after the 4-1 defeat in Australia, is ongoing.
