England all-rounder Liam Livingstone is one of the most explosive names going around in the international cricket circuit at the moment. Over the past few years, Liam has proven himself to be a specialist middle-order batter in the shortest format of the game. His knack for hitting humongous long sixes, for one, makes him a hot prospect for any T20 franchise.
Recently, a video featuring Liam has gone viral on social media where he selects his all-time T20 playing XI. Interestingly, this was recorded last year in November, when Liam was a part of the Rajasthan Royals. He has, since, switched sides, and is currently with the Punjab Kings in the IPL. But the reason this video has gone viral 8-months after its original airing is because of the Indian players he has picked for his team. Or their lack thereof, if we’re being honest.
Livingstone picks 2 Indians in his T20 side
Liam opted for former India captain Virat Kohli to open the innings alongside Liam’s national teammate and captain Jos Buttler. Kevin Pietersen, AB de Villiers, and Kieron Pollard comprise the team’s middle order for pretty self-explanatory reasons.
The brunt of the team’s all-round abilities would be shared by Andre Russell, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rashid Khan; some of the finest all-rounders in modern-day cricket. The pick for Liam’s number 9 player was someone very interesting, as he opted to pick Pakistani fast-bowling legend Wasim Akram. What stands out with this pick is the fact that Wasim has never featured in a professional level T20 match in his entire career!
Aside from a few exhibition matches, Wasim has never played a T20 game of professional significance. He has, however, been a part of T20 franchises like the Kolkata Knight Riders and Karachi Kings in the capacity of a bowling coach/ mentor, so there is definitely some good value to his experience.
But just the fact that back in his prime, Wasim was one of the finest swing bowlers out there who bowled left-arm pace, had a penchant for nailing his yorkers, and doubled down as a handy lower-order batter, could have prompted Liam to include him in his team.
Jofra Archer and Lasith Malinga round off Liam’s team as the specialist seam bowlers. Clearly, there’s a good mix of pedigree, explosiveness, and balance in the lineup of players that Liam has assembled for his dream team. However, there are a few Indian names that stand out for not having made the cut to feature in the squad.
💥 @imVkohli and @josbuttler to open. @wasimakramlive with the new ball. 🔥#HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | @liaml4893 pic.twitter.com/xPJbYKotvg
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) November 10, 2021
Liam Livingstone’s all-time T20I XI: Virat Kohli, Jos Buttler (C&WK), Kevin Pietersen, AB de Villiers, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Ravindra Jadeja, Wasim Akram, Rashid Khan, Jofra Archer, Lasith Malinga
Rohit, Dhoni, and Bumrah miss out on Liam’s all-time T20 team
Notably, India captain Rohit Sharma, one of the most aggressive modern-day opening batters, missed out on a spot. Then there’s the pace-ace Jasprit Bumrah, whom a lot of people would consider simply indispensable for any T20 lineup, but who is also missing from the lineup.
But the biggest omission in our book is that of legendary India’s keeper-bat, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Liam chose to go with Jos Buttler as the designated ‘keeper and captain of the team. But it’s a fact that Dhoni’s skills in both of these departments exceed those of Buttler- well, at least whatever little we’ve seen of the latter in recent times.
Perhaps Liam didn’t want to tamper with the balance of his top and middle order players, which is why he opted for some out-and-out explosive players in the middle in lieu of MSD. Regardless, it’s a very competent side that features some of the finest players in the shortest format of the game.
