England allrounder says he was denied support after axe

Liam Livingstone says he was left out in the cold after being dropped by England last year and claims the current regime does not care about players outside the core group.

In a sensational whack at Brendon McCullum and Bazball, the former Perth Scorchers allrounder said: “If you’re in, you’re in and if you’re not in, no one cares about you.”

It comes after England’s disastrous Ashes tour of Australia last summer, which the hosts claimed victory 4-1 as the Poms were the subject of criticism over poor preparation, as well as their on-field performances and off-field behaviour.

Livingstone has not played for England since last year’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan, where he scored only 33 runs and took three wickets in three matches.

The 32-year-old, who has played 60 T20 Internationals, 39 ODIs and one Test for England, described that tour as the “worst experience” of his career and said communication from team management broke down after he was dropped.

He claims McCullum broke the news to Livingstone that he was being dropped last May in an abrupt telephone call.

“I don’t think it would have reached a minute (the call),” he told ESPNCricinfo.

“I asked why; they said they wanted to try someone else. That was off Baz (McCullum). Brooky (Harry Brook) sent me a text,.

“Keysy (director of cricket Rob Key) said nothing, said I’ll speak to you in the summer. I actually rang him one day and he said he was busy at a Test camp at Loughborough, and then I didn’t hear from him until the end of September.

“That probably sums that group up as a collective. That was a bit of an eye-opening experience about the group and the regime: if you’re in, you’re in, and if you’re not in, no one cares about you.”

Livingstone said when he looking to the coaching staff for answers to his own form woes, of which he was not alone in a poor-performing England side last year, he was told he “cared too much”.

“I was asking for help and pretty much all I got was that I care too much and I need to chill out a little bit.

“Where I come from, it’s not an easy route to get to play for your country.

“For someone to keep telling you that you care too much is… it’s probably a bit way off the mark, to be honest, with what you go through and parents sacrificing so much for years on end to get you to realise your dream.

“When things don’t go right, of course you’re going to care; if I didn’t care, then I probably wouldn’t want to play the sport.”

As well as his international career with England, Livingstone proved popular with Australian fans when he played with the Perth Scorchers in the BBL from 2019-21.

He was then picked up the Melbourne Renegades, but withdrew from the 2022 season because of international commitments.

The England and Wales Cricket Board did not immediately respond to a request for comment made outside UK business hours.