• Liam Livingstone has become such an important part of England’s white-ball strategy.
• Livingstone was bought by Punjab Kings for £1.125 million.
• He is the embodiment of their ultra-attacking batting style.

Liam Livingstone has become such an important part of England’s white-ball strategy that it seems unreal that his ODI debut against the Netherlands on Wednesday. He had two cameos at No. 6 in Pune 15 months ago and played in as an opener for the injured Jason Roy against Sri Lanka last summer. But his 50-over opportunities have been few and far between since the 2019 World Cup.

Even so, it is unlikely that England will begin their title defence in India without Livingstone in the side: he is the embodiment of their ultra-attacking batting style. As evidenced by his 17-ball half-century in the first ODI on Friday. As well as his ability to bowl legspin and offbreaks in the same over. This makes him an indispensable player.

The only question is how England will fit him into their starting XI. Which increasingly appears to be in place of Eoin Morgan, who has made consecutive ducks in this series and skipped Tuesday’s optional training session at the VRA as he continues to manage his workload amid concerns about his medium-term fitness.

Morgan admitted before this series that the 2023 World Cup seemed “a long way away,” and he appears increasingly likely to step down as captain after the T20 World Cup.

Livingstone hailed his triumph with Punjab Kings in the IPL this year as “getting the monkey off my back.”. The price which he receive is Rs 11.5 crore (about £1.125 million) at the February auction. The biggest fee ever paid for an international player.