Liam Livingstone Adds To England's T20 World Cup Injury Concerns

29.08.2022 - 07:09 sports.ndtv.com

Liam Livingstone has joined an already significant list of England fitness worries ahead of October's Twenty20 World Cup in Australia after being ruled out of the remainder of the Hundred with an ankle injury.

Birmingham Phoenix announced that hard-hitting batsman and spin bowler Livingstone, the top run scorer and most valuable player in last year's inaugural edition, will miss their final two group games of the season plus any knockout ties.

The 29-year-old said on Twitter: "Gutted to have been ruled out of @thehundred... a tournament I have loved playing in! I'll be doing everything I can to be back out there ASAP!

But for now I'll be supporting Birmingham Phoenix from the side!" The extent of his injury is still unclear, but there are now just three-and-a-half weeks before England begin a T20 series against Pakistan in Karachi.

cricket England Cricket Team cup Mark Wood Jos Buttler Chris Woakes Liam Livingstone Jason Roy Chris Jordan London Spirit Australia Jordan Birmingham Pakistan county Mills

Pakistan and England continue their build-up for next month's T20 World Cup in Australia when they begin a seven-match series in Karachi on Tuesday -- the tourists' first visit since 2005. The long-awaited return of England comes five months after a trouble-free tour by Australia, their first in 24 years, which helped Pakistan's rehabilitation as a safe place to play cricket. International cricket has gradually returned to Pakistan following years where they were forced to play home matches in neutral venues after a deadly attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009.

Jos Buttler Wants England Battle-Hardened For T20 World Cup From Pakistan Tour

England skipper Jos Buttler said Thursday he hopes his injury-hit Twenty20 side embrace the challenge of facing a strong Pakistan team on their first tour of the country in 17 years. Security issues have meant Pakistan has struggled to attract visiting sides since an attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009, but tours have slowly resumed in the past few years -- with England the latest. This seven-match series is seen as a preparation for next month's Twenty20 World Cup to be held in Australia, and Buttler hoped his young side build up well for the mega event.

ICC T20 World Cup: Full Squads Of Teams Announced So Far

The ICC T20 World Cup will begin in Australia from next month and most of the teams have announced their 15-member squads for the event. The Aussies under Aaron Finch will be looking to defend their title at home while the likes of New Zealand, England, India and Pakistan will look to the Aussies a tough fight. A rejuvenated Sri Lankan side also looks threatening while the quality of South Africa and West Indies in this format can also not be ignored.

T20 World Cup: England players had 'no issues' with Alex Hales's call-up, says Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler said players had no issues with the inclusion of Alex Hales in the Twenty20 World Cup squad after the batsman received his first call-up since being dropped from the squad in 2019. Hales, 33, was called up as a replacement for Jonny Bairstow, who was ruled out of the tournament in Australia after suffering a lower limb injury while playing golf. In 2019, Hales was withdrawn from the preliminary squad for the 50-overs World Cup after the Guardian newspaper reported he was serving a three-week ban for recreational drug use. "I spoke to lots of the senior players to make sure that no one would have any issues with Alex being back in the team if we wanted to select him. No one had any issues," Buttler told reporters on Thursday ahead of their T20 series in Pakistan. "He's obviously been in excellent form. We know what a talented player he is and he's gained a lot of experience as well since the last time he played for England."

Aussie Great Joins England Coaching Set Up Ahead Of T20 World Cup

Former Australian great Michael Hussey has joined the England white-ball coaching set-up as a consultant for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup. Hussey will provide expert assistance to the support staff headed by head coach Matthew Mott. England and Wales Cricket Board announced through a release.