Liam Livingstone's Out of Form Won't Affect Selection

The phrase suggests that Liam Livingstone is almost certain to be selected for the team, implying his form and performance make him an obvious choice. Livingstone, who has not played international cricket since last year's Champions Trophy, was highly critical of the England set-up and suggested that his chances of a recall relied on a change in management. Sounds like there's some tension ! Liam Livingstone accused the England setup of avoiding talks about his contract and selection, claiming Gary *Key told him he had "100 more important things" to discuss. *Key says England considered recalling Livingstone for the Sri Lanka tour and he's still in contention if he proves he's back to his best and scoring runs. "Look, I'm not going to go into private conversations," Key told Sky Sports News. "Obviously, there's another side to that conversation as I saw it. What I did say to Liam at the end of what was a fairly tetchy phone call to say the least [was that] there's no way I see a player of Liam Livingstone's ability not being up for selection for England. Gary Key had high praise for Liam Livingstone, saying they even considered making him captain for an ODI series against West Indies in 2024 when senior players were absent. Key believes Livingstone, 32, still has a lot to offer England and his career isn't over. Livingstone suggested that the England environment operated as a clique, saying: "If you're in, you're in, and if you're not in, no-one cares about you." Key denied that claim, though the ECB's review into England's Ashes defeat focused heavily on team culture and promised new expectations on "team behaviours" after sloppy off-field conduct this winter.