Former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior has called out Liam Livingstone after the shot he played to get out during India's win in Nagpur in the first ODI of the three-match series between the two sides.
Livingstone came into bat at seven, with England on 170-5 and Jacob Bethell on 22*, but the all rounder could only conjure a score of 5 runs off 10 balls. Advancing down the wicket to Harshit Rana, Livingstone played a wild swipe at a short ball, nicking behind to leave England 183-6 in the 36th over.
At the innings interval, Prior compared Livingstone's approach to that of Bethell, who reached his second half century in the format after Livingstone was out. Prior said on TNT Sports: “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?”
“Bethell I thought showed the more experienced batter how to play in that situation and tried to get your foundation.”
Bethell reached his half-century off 63 balls and was out an over later for 51. He took England past 200 having come in when they were 111-4.
“Bethell I thought actually showed the more experienced players how to play” @MattPrior13 is impressed with the England youngster, more so than Liam Livingstone 👀
— Cricket on TNT Sports (@cricketontnt) February 6, 2025
📺 Watch #INDvENG on @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/hMJRGGTah0
Livingstone's place in England's ODI side was under threat last year, when he was originally left out of their squad to face Australia. However, he was later included in the series after an injury to Jos Buttler, and scored a 37-ball 62* at Lord's. He then scored a century during England's ODI tour of the Caribbean over the winter, captaining the side in Buttler's continued absence.
After England were bowled out for 248, India chased down the target with 68 balls and four wickets remaining. Shubman Gill scored 87, while Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel scored centuries to get them over the line comfortably. The two sides will play the second ODI of the series on Sunday, February 9, in Cuttack.
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