Livingstone, who has been out of the England setup since last year\u2019s ICC Champions Trophy, had criticised the team management for avoiding difficult conversations and suggested his future depended on changes behind the scenes. He also claimed that Key had told him he had 100 more important things to do during a one-on-one discussion.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Responding to the remarks, Key defended his position but chose not to go into details of their conversation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cLook, I\u2019m not going to go into private conversations,\" Key told Sky Sports. \u201cObviously, there\u2019s another side to that conversation as I saw it. What I did say to Liam at the end of what was a fairly tetchy phone call to say the least [was that] there\u2019s no way I see a player of Liam Livingstone\u2019s ability not being up for selection for England,\" he told ESPNCricinfo.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Key reiterated that the 32-year-old still has a pathway back into the side and revealed that selectors had considered recalling him earlier this year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no way a player of his ability is out of the picture,\" Key said, urging Livingstone to focus on performance. \u201cIf he gets back to his best and starts scoring runs, he\u2019ll absolutely be in the frame again.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The former England cricketer also pointed out that Livingstone was once seen as a leadership option during an ODI series against the West Indies in 2024.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe thought as much of him to make him captain at one stage, when we didn\u2019t have all the senior players there. I still have a huge amount of time for Liam Livingstone, and there\u2019s no reason that someone at 32\u2019s England career should be over,\" Key said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The former England cricketer also pointed out that Livingstone was once seen as a leadership option during an ODI series against the West Indies in 2024.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Meanwhile, Livingston has reached India to take part in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. He was purchased by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for 13 crore in the auction.<\/p>\r\n\r\n