England breakout trio Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood and Matt Parkinson ready to shine at Old Trafford home in T20 decider

Liam Livingstone celebrates his century
Getty Images
Will Macpherson20 July 2021

England men’s white-ball international summer concludes with a T20 decider against Pakistan tonight at Old Trafford, home of their three breakout stars of the campaign.

It has been a curious month for England, in which their first-choice sides thrashed Sri Lanka before Covid-19 caused a total reshuffle.

With players absent, they have been more experimental against Pakistan but have still performed well. Victory tonight would make for a very successful summer for white-ball skipper Eoin Morgan’s side.

Three young Lancastrians - Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood and Matt Parkinson - have forced their way into the plans for October’s T20 World Cup in the Emirates with a string of impressive performances.

For Livingstone and Parkinson, this will be a maiden international appearance on their home ground. “To play there [for England] will be fantastic, it’s been a dream of mine to play there for a long time,” said Parkinson.

“I’m lucky enough to play there week in, week out for Lancashire, but to play there for England will be massive.”

All three will want another big performance to push their case for World Cup inclusion. England are likely to shuffle their pack again, but are without Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, who are all squad certainties.

In a congested top-six, Dawid Malan, who is still the ICC’s top-ranked T20 batter, is under pressure for his spot, with Livingstone in prime form.

Tomorrow, England’s players join up with their Hundred teams for the men’s tournament that begins on Thursday.

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