Liam Livingstone admits 'I always want to be involved' after playing a bit-part role at the T20 World Cup, but insists he will be happy to remain under the radar if England can retain their title in the Caribbean this week

Liam Livingstone has admitted he will be happy to remain England’s bit-part player if they can win a third World Cup in five years this week in the Caribbean.

Livingstone has faced only 33 balls in the tournament and bowled just seven overs, and admitted: ‘I don’t feel like I have the most glamorous role in this team.’

But he has contributed in each of England’s last two matches, scoring 33 off 17 balls to give South Africa a scare in St Lucia, then taking one for 24 in four overs of tidy spin against the USA in Barbados - only the sixth time he has bowled his full allocation in 47 T20 internationals.

And he said his occasional walk-on parts had proved a ‘mental challenge’, as Jos Buttler continues to use him as a lower-middle-order hitter and a part-time spinner capable of turning the ball both ways.

‘As a kid I always wanted to be involved,’ he said. ‘That’s the reason I started bowling a few years back. Batting at seven and maybe bowling one over - that’s where the hard bit comes. That is the mental challenge this role brings. I am in the team to finish off games with the bat and get wickets with the ball when we’re struggling for one.

‘But it’s the role I’m playing and the best way for me to do well for the team is to make sure I’m right on it whenever I’m needed. Hopefully I'm not needed these next two games and we can win a World Cup. If I am needed, I feel I am in a decent place.’

Livingstone’s interventions have been brief but telling. He has hit 61 off his 33 balls, including five sixes, and took the crucial wicket of West Indies captain Rovman Powell during England’s stirring win in St Lucia.

And he has been picking the brains of Kieron Pollard, the former West Indies captain and all-rounder who has been working with England during this tournament, and whose tactical insights played a crucial role in that St Lucia victory.

‘My training has been a bit different,’ said Livingstone. ‘You have to put yourself in pressure situations. Having Polly around, someone who has done the role for so long, has been amazing for me.’