'About time that England backs his talent' - Kevin Pietersen bats for Liam Livingstone's inclusion in Test team

Veteran England batter Kevin Pietersen has urged the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to give Liam Livingstone his Test debut. To note, the right-handed batter has been doing excellently well in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 for his franchise Punjab Kings (PBKS).

It may be noted that the Three Lions are going through a transition period, with Joe Root stepping down as the Test captain and Ben Stokes being appointed as the new captain of the team. To note, England will take on New Zealand in a three-match Test match series, starting from on June 2.

Liam Livingstone is so free-spirited, he is eager to entertain: Kevin Pietersen

“It’s about time that England backed the talent of Liam Livingstone. He is so free-spirited and I love the way that he is eager to entertain. He wants to give it a smack so he just does, no holding back. It’s awesome to watch. There aren’t many better batters than him in England, I tell you.” Pietersen wrote in his recent blog.

Livingstone has played three 50-0ver matches and 17 T20Is for his national team. Talking about his IPL performance, the right-handed batter has amassed 405 runs at a strike rate 164.63.

“He’s (Livingstone) used to play in this high-pressure environment and he’s loving it (at Punjab Kings). I would have him straight in the Test side at five or six. He can change the nature of a match very quickly by taking bowling attacks apart,” Pietersen wrote in his column.

“I think that Rob Key (England men’s cricket managing director) is on the same page as me in terms of picking players with great skill and a proper mentality, with a bit of oomph about them. Hopefully that’s the kind of team England will pick for their first Test of the summer in a few weeks,” he added.