England all-rounder Liam Livingstone believes he's starting a "new career" after more than two years of injury woes.The 31-year-old rushed back from ankle ligament damage to feature in England's 2022 T20 World Cup triumph, but then injured his knee a few weeks later in his lone Test appearance in Pakistan.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Problems with both form and fitness have led England to omit Livingstone from their current one-day international squad, but he remains involved in the ongoing three-match T20 series against Australia.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The spinner showed his all-round worth in Wednesday's series opener in Southampton, taking 3-22 and scoring a quickfire 37 off 27 balls, although his contributions were unable to prevent a 28-run loss.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I feel like a little kid again, I feel like I'm starting a new career to be honest," Livingstone said. "Life with niggles is not very fun.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Mentally, more than anything, it feels really nice to be back playing cricket pain-free and I think, if I get back to my best, I feel like I'm an asset to any cricket team I play in.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I'm back playing cricket with a smile on my face, that's when I play at my best. Fingers crossed it stays that way for a while."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Livingstone earned his reputation in white-ball cricket as a 'finisher' whose aggressive batting style made him valuable at the end of matches.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But on Wednesday he batted in the top four for only the ninth time in 49 T20s, and enjoyed the additional responsibility.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Series like these where you get an opportunity further up the order, it's a chance for me to stake my claim," he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n