England all-rounder and T20 specialist Liam Livingstone has pulled out of the upcoming edition of Australia's Big Bash League (BBL) for Melbourne Renegades because of increased international workload.
The Renegades were expecting the 29-year-old to be available for the first eight matches of the tournament, beginning on December 13, but have been left "disappointed" by the decision. A statement issued by the Renegades said on Tuesday, "The Melbourne Renegades can confirm Liam Livingstone has withdrawn from BBL-12.
Livingstone, part of England's recent T20 World Cup success, was selected by the Renegades with pick one in the inaugural BBL Overseas Draft. It was expected he would be available for the first eight matches of the tournament.
"Livingstone's international commitments have increased since the Draft. He was added to England's Test squad for a series in December, with West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell signed in his place for the first four matches of the BBL. Due to his increased workload, Livingstone has now withdrawn from the remainder of the tournament," the statement read.
"We're obviously disappointed that we won't have Liam as part of our team this summer, but we understand his decision," Melbourne Renegades General Manager, James Rosengarten, said."Liam is a fantastic cricketer and there's a reason we used our first pick in the draft to select him. Since then, his schedule has changed with added international duties and we wish him the best as he pushes for a Test debut.
"We know Liam had been looking forward to working with our head coach, David Saker, and playing for our club. Hopefully, we can make that happen in the coming seasons."We have been in regular communication with Liam and his management over the last couple of months, which has allowed us to execute a plan that is best for the Renegades for this season.
"We've already secured Andre Russell for the first four matches and know the match-winning ability he will add to our team. "This news has allowed us to explore replacement options with greater availability beyond the first half of the tournament, and we look forward to being able to announce another big-name addition for the Renegades soon."
The Renegades will begin their BBL-12 campaign on December 15 against the Brisbane Heat in Cairns, with their first home game on December 18 against the Sydney Thunder at Marvel Stadium.