Meet Liam Livingstone, a rare package of leg spin and power hitting

Dubai: Liam Livingstone, the England allrounder who made an impact even in a star-studded squad during their campaign in the T20 World Cup, knows he is a rare breed. The package of a leg spinner and quality hard-hitting batsman is difficult to find in international cricket now - and it’s this USP that he hopes to cash in on in the coming days.

The Lancastrian, who has stayed back in the UAE to be a part of Team Abu Dhabi in the Abu Dhabi T10 League which gets under way on Friday, was often used by England captain Eoin Morgan for a double-pronged leg spin attack alongwith Adel Rashid ahead of their leading spinner Moeen Ali. ‘‘Morgs possibly wanted someone to turn the ball away from the bat. It was pretty cool to contribute with the ball, though I would like to become a bit more valuable with the bat and come up the order in time,’’ the 28-year-old said during an exclusive zoom interaction with Gulf News on Thursday.

Reflecting on England’s campaign, who looked simply unstoppable till they were done in by New Zealand in that humdinger of a semi-final, Livingstone said from his hotel room: ‘‘It was an amazing experience to represent England in a World Cup. It would have been nice to have played the final but then, T20 can be an unpredictable format. The experience would stand me in good stead going forward as a cricketer.’’

Livingstone, who got a break in the national T20 side after a four-year break during which he turned a journeyman with several franchise leagues, said: ‘‘It’s been a whirlwind year for me. If someone had told me around the same time last year that you would play a T20 game for England, I would have laughed at it him. It’s the biggest positive for me to be part of such a great team - we left everything out there but it was not enough.’’

While the heartbreak for Morgan’s men was understandable, the unique situation of back-to-back World Cups mean that they will be getting a chance to redeem themselves within next 11 months when the next World T20 is held in Australia. ‘‘Our focus will be there and it gives us an opportunity for a quick turnaround. With a couple of key players added to the squad, we can certainly redeem ourselves,’’ he said.

It’s been a whirlwind year for me. If someone had told me around the same time last year that you would play a T20 game for England, I would have laughed at it him. It’s the biggest positive for me to be part of such a great team - we left everything out there but it was not enough

- Liam Livingstone, England allrounder

Despite being branded as one of their white ball specialists, Livingstone admits that an entry into Test cricket remains a dream. Touted as one of the prospects for the Ashes tour, he has however focused: ‘‘I wouldn’t say that I was banking on it. Test cricket has been a dream but it’s still some way off for me. If it happens, it happens but right now, I am more concerned about where my cricket goes.’’

With the mega auctions for IPL 2022 round the corner, Livingstone - who had come in a replacement player for Rajasthan Royals in the UAE leg - is deemed to be one of the hot properties next year. Brushing aside any high expectations, he said: ‘‘Fingers crossed. The last IPL didn’t go well for me as I wanted it to be and the idea is to play good cricket.’’

Come Friday, Livingstone will be leading his team for their opening match against Bangla Tigers in the Abu Dhabi T10. ‘‘The management have put together a strong team with exciting bowlers and lot of power with the bat. In T10 cricket, that’s what you need. On paper, we have got a lot of strength and we will see how it goes,’’ he added.

The fifth Abu Dhabi T10 takes place at the Zayed Cricket Stadium from November 19 to December 4.

Fixtures

November 19

Northern Warriors vs Delhi Bulls, 7.30 pm (UAE time)

Team Abu Dhabi vs Bangla Tigers, 9.30 pm

November 20

Deccan Gladiators vs Chennai Braves, 5.30 pm

Northern Warriors vs Team Abu Dhabi, 7.30 pm

Delhi Bulls vs Bangla Tigers, 9.30 pm

November 21

Team Abu Dhabi vs Deccan Gladiators, 5.30 pm

Delhi Bulls vs Chennai Braves, 7.30 pm

Bangla Tigers vs Northern Warriors, 9.30 pm

November 22

Deccan Gladiators vs Delhi Bulls, 7.30 pm

Chennai Braves vs Team Abu Dhabi, 9.30 pm

November 23

Northern Warriors vs Deccan Gladiators, 7.30 pm

Bangla Tigers vs Chennai Braves, 9.30 pm

November 24

Delhi Bulls vs Team Abu Dhabi, 7.30 pm

Chennai Braves vs Northern Warriors, 9.30 pm

November 25

Bangla Tigers vs Deccan Gladiators, 7.30 pm

Delhi Bulls vs Northern Warriors, 9.30 pm

November 26

Bangla Tigers vs Team Abu Dhabi, 7.30 pm

Chennai Braves vs Deccan Gladiators, 9.30 pm

November 27

Team Abu Dhabi vs Northern Warriors, 5.30 pm

Chennai Braves vs Bangla Tigers, 7.30 pm

Delhi Bulls vs Deccan Gladiators, 9.30 pm

November 28

Team Abu Dhabi vs Chennai Braves, 5.30 pm

Deccan Gladiators vs Northern Warriors, 7.30 pm

Bangla Tigers vs Delhi Bulls, 9.30 pm

November 29

Deccan Gladiators vs Team Abu Dhabi, 7.30 pm

Northern Warriors vs Chennai Braves, 9.30 pm

December 1

Deccan Gladiators vs Bangla Tigers, 7.30 pm

Chennai Braves vs Delhi Bulls, 9.30 pm

December 2

Northern Warriors vs Bangla Tigers, 7.30 pm

Team Abu Dhabi vs Delhi Bulls, 9.30 pm

December 3

Qualifier 1 (1st vs 2nd, 5.30 pm)

Eliminator (3rd vs 4th, 7.30 pm)

Qualifier 2 (Winner, Eliminator vs Loser, Qualifier 1, 9.30 pm)

December 4

Third-place play-off: 7.30 pm

Final: 9.30 pm