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‘Can You Put Your Ego Aside?’ - Liam Livingstone Criticised For Mindless Slogging
Follow UsJust 10 balls into his stay in the first ODI, he perished trying to run down the wicket and slog Harshit Rana
Former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior was severely critical of England’s Liam Livingstone for his shot selection in the first ODI against India on February 6 (Thursday), and insisted that the right-hander did not show any game awareness whatsoever.
Livingstone was slotted in at No.7 and he came to bat at 170/5, on the back of a fighting 59-run stand between skipper Jos Buttler and young Jacob Bethell. However, just 10 balls into his stay, he perished trying to run down the wicket and slog Harshit Rana. Livingstone’s wicket exposed the bowlers early and England eventually batted only 47.4 overs, getting bowled out for 248.
“Steve [Finn] and I were talking off air about Livingstone, as an example, who’s played a lot of cricket now and you think, can you put your ego to one side and actually make good decisions under pressure?,” Prior said on TNT Sports.
The former England wicketkeeper further claimed that Bethell, despite being just 21 and having played less than 10 ODIs, showed Livingstone and other experienced batters in the side how to navigate a tough situation.
Bethell posted a gritty 51 and became the youngest Englishman ever to post an ODI fifty in India.
“Bethell I thought showed the more experienced batter how to play in that situation and tried to get your foundation,” Prior said.
It’s thus far been a nightmarish tour of India for Livingstone, whose scores read 5, 9, 9, 43, 13, and 0. He now averages just 16.00 across 9 ODIs in India.
