England all-rounder blasts Brendon McCullum, reveals 'an eye-opening experience'

NEW DELHI — Liam Livingstone has launched an unprecedented attack on England’s coaching hierarchy, accusing head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key of showing “a lack of respect and communication” after his shock omission from the national squad in March 2025.

In an explosive interview with ESPNCricinfo, the 32-year-old all-rounder disclosed that he has not worn the Three Lions since the final T20 against India in Ahmedabad 13 months ago and now questions whether a pathway back exists under the current regime.

Livingstone’s frustration centres on the manner of his axing from the West Indies series last year. “I only got a 60-second call from Baz [McCullum],” he said. “I asked why [I was dropped]. They said they wanted to try someone else. That was off Baz. Wrighty [outgoing selector Luke Wright] didn’t reach out, and Brooky [captain Harry Brook] sent me a text.”

The Lancashire star claims Rob Key also avoided direct dialogue. “Keysy said nothing. [He] 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.”

Livingstone branded the episode “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.”

The all-rounder also criticised McCullum’s handling of his form slump during the 2025 tour of India. “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,” he recalled. “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.”

Batting-order uncertainty added to his discontent. “One of my frustrations … whenever I went up the order, I did really well. And then the big boys would come back, and I was always back down at No. 7. I don’t want to be someone that’s a sixth bowler and batting at No. 7. I feel like it’s a waste of my talent.”

Left out of England’s 2026 T20 World Cup squad, Livingstone insists he felt no regret. “I didn’t miss it one bit. There wasn’t any part of me that was wishing I was playing in that team.”

Instead, he will channel his energies into the 2026 Indian Premier League with Sunrisers Hyderabad, hoping a repeat of his prolific 2022 campaign for Punjab Kings can reignite his international prospects. “Hopefully, I can have a season like the season I had in my first year at Punjab … and won loads of games from No. 4,” he said. “If you give it everything you’ve got, it can repay you very nicely.”