Liam lined up for World Cup

ENGLAND’S Twenty20 squad must be one of the hardest in sport to break into, but in one recordbreaking innings Liam Livingstone has gone from maybe to must-pick for this autumn’s World Cup.

Acting head coach Paul Collingwood declared his 42-ball hundred against Pakistan on Friday ‘as exciting an innings as I’ve seen from any of our white-ball cricketers’.

It came in a losing cause and England must now win the final two matches, starting at Headingley today, to complete a full house of limitedovers series wins this summer.

Collingwood said: ‘It’s not just his power-hitting, it’s also what he gives with the ball. He can bowl leg-spin or off-spin, depending on whether it’s against right or left-handed batsmen, and he’s an exceptional fielder.

‘Under the real pressure of needing 12 an over from the start, he’s shown he can take it to the opposition.

‘It’s exciting to think how powerful that batting unit could be with him in it. He adds something special.’