T20 World Cup 2021: Liam Livingstone in doubt for England's T20 World Cup opener after a finger injury
A spokesperson from the England team stated that they will assess Liam Livingstone’s finger injury over the next 24 hours as they wait to see whether the all-rounder will be fit for the start of the T20 World Cup.
Livingstone injured his finger when he dropped Ishan Kishan while fielding at mid-wicket during England's warm-up match against India on Monday (October 18). The all-rounder left the field alongside England's physio with a swelling on his little finger in his left hand.
Sam Billings came on to the field as a substitute fielder as Livingstone played no further part in the game.
Not what England want to see! 😬
All-rounder Liam Livingstone suffered a finger injury as England were beaten by India in their opening warm-up game before the T20 World Cup.
The injury will be assessed in the next 24 hours...
#T20WorldCup #bbccricket
Livingstone had an impressive outing against India, smashing a 20-ball 30 and returning figures of 1/10 in his two overs with the ball. He took the big scalp of Indian captain Virat Kohli while conceding at less than six runs an over.
Livingstone is now in doubt for England's T20 World Cup opener against the West Indies on Saturday (23rd October). The all-rounder has been mighty impressive on his return to the England white-ball side and is tipped to play an important role in the tournament.
England lose their first warm-up match against India
Victory for @BCCI in our #T20WorldCup warm-up 🏏
Up next, @BLACKCAPS 🇳🇿
#EnglandCricket https://t.co/MeVAz4AJeC
The Three Lions were without their skipper, Eoin Morgan, who was rested on the back of being involved in the IPL 2021 Final. Jos Buttler was the stand-in skipper and opened the batting alongside Jason Roy.
Jonny Bairstow stood out with his batting performance as he top-scored for England with 49 runs from 36 balls. He missed out on his half-century, however, as he was undone by a peach from Bumrah. Moeen Ali also played the finisher's role efficiently, recording an unbeaten 43 off 20 deliveries as England posted 188/5 on the board.
India's openers Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul got India off to an absolute flier with both batters scoring half-centuries and looking in imperious form. While Rahul eventually fell to Mark Wood for 51, Kishan retired hurt for 70.
Rishabh Pant then finished the match with a maximum to give India a convincing victory. He remained unbeaten on 29 from just 14 balls with Hardik Pandya for company on 12 from 10 balls.
However, Virat Kohli's form continued to be a concern for the Men in Blue. The Indian skipper failed to score a boundary during his 13-ball stay at the crease. Suryakumar Yadav also fell cheaply, managing just eight runs before being caught behind off David Willey.
England have another warm-up match scheduled against New Zealand on Wednesday (October 20). After rubbing shoulders with the Kiwis, the Three Lions take on defending champions West Indies in their tournament opener on Saturday (October 23). It will be a replay of the previous edition's final which was won by the side from the Caribbean.