Worst experience': Liam Livingstone criticises Key and McCullum regime

"I don't think it would have reached a minute. I asked why; they said they wanted to try someone else. That was off Baz. Brooky sent me a text. 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."

"That probably sums that group up as a collective. That was a bit of 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. That put my mind at ease that my cricket was going to be more enjoyable."

Liam Livingstone, a 32-year-old Lancashire all-rounder with 100 England caps, has publicly criticized the current England cricket regime for its handling of his career. After being dropped by head coach Brendon McCullum in May via a brief phone call, Livingstone received minimal communication from management. Director of cricket Rob Key promised to speak with him in summer but remained unavailable until late September. Livingstone described his Champions Trophy experience as the worst of his cricket career and expressed no regret about missing the recent T20 World Cup. He characterized the management approach as indifferent to players outside the immediate selection circle, stating that if you're not in favour, no one cares about you. His removal from the 2025-26 central contract list appears final.

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