Liam Livingstone: England’s all-rounder stepped up responsibility in a youthful T20 squad against Australia

Classy all-rounder Liam Livingstone says he is relishing the added responsibility as he hopes to land a top spot with the bat in England’s T20 squad.

Livingstone was the main bright spark in an otherwise disappointing England side as they suffered a 28-run loss to Australia in the T20 series opener in Southampton on Wednesday.

Livingstone took 3-22 in his three overs before top-scoring for the hosts with 37 off 27 balls as he batted higher up the order at No.4 in a youthful game that featured three debuts.

“I want to try and win cricket games for England. And I think the higher up the order you are, the better chance you have of doing that,” Livingstone said after the series-opening defeat.

“I think that’s why in a series like this, where you get an opportunity higher up the order, it’s an opportunity for me to make my case.

“My job is to make sure I try to do as well as I can and give them a headache for the next series. That’s my job over the next two games.”

At 31 and 75 combined for England across all three formats, Livingstone is one of the oldest members of the England squad for this T20 series.

If he is selected for the second T20 international in Cardiff on Friday, it will be his 50th T20I cap.

“I think I have a role in this team that feels strange… I feel really old, so I have to give the younger guys a bit more guidance, take a bit of pressure off them. And I enjoy the responsibility,” Livingstone said.

“There’s a bit of a new look, a fresh environment. Things have felt different, like a fresh start.

“And I think the challenge for us now as a group is to try to get up to speed as quickly as we can and not use that change of guard as an excuse.

“We need to step up and take the Aussies on. There’s a lot to play for in this series and we have every confidence we can turn it around.”

Livingstone: I’m back playing with a smile on my face

Livingstone has not been selected for the five-match ODI series that follows the T20 leg of the Australian tour.

Although disappointed, the 2022 T20 World Cup winner in England said he was just happy to be fit and enjoying cricket again after persistent injury problems behind the tournament.

“Unfortunately I won’t be playing in ODIs, but it’s still not something I will give up,” he said.

– Physically, it has probably let me down a little, and I may not have been able to scratch physically with a couple of jerks here and there.

“I sprained my ankle just before [2022] World Cup, rushed back to fitness, which then led to me injuring my knee in the Test [his debut versus Pakistan that winter].

“Looking back, I don’t really have any regrets … if I didn’t bounce my ankle back as quickly as I did, I wouldn’t be sitting here as a World Cup winner.

“I think it’s matured me a lot over the last two years, and it makes you appreciate it when things start to improve and become a little more enjoyable.”

He added: “I reckon since the start of The Hundred it’s as good as I’ve been in a long time.

– I can run about 100 percent on the field and bowl and bat to the best of my ability, which I probably haven’t been able to do in two and a half years.

“I play cricket with a smile on my face. That’s when I play at my best. And fingers crossed, it stays that way for a while.”

Watch England v Australia live Sky Sports Cricket in September when the sides meet in three T20 Internationals and five One Day Internationals.

The second T20I is at Sophia Gardens on Friday September 13 with coverage starting at 6pm before the first ball at 6.30pm. Also stream on NOW.