Lancashire have formally written to the ECB after Liam Livingstone’s lbw on Vitality Blast Finals Day, saying the decision “cost us at a key moment”.
The incident came during the first semi-final against Somerset. Chasing 183, Lancashire were 102 for three when Livingstone was struck on the back pad. Convinced he had nicked it, he called for DRS straight away. Third umpire Sue Redfern studied UltraEdge – the sound-wave technology used to detect contact – and ruled there was no bat. Livingstone trudged off for 29 and Lancashire collapsed, losing their last seven wickets for 57.
In a post on X, the club stated: “Following on from Finals Day, @lancscricket has formally expressed its disappointment to the ECB regarding the decision that led to the dismissal of Liam Livingstone. The Lancashire all-rounder was given out lbw for 29, following a review by the TV umpire.
“While the club remains deeply frustrated and disappointed with the decision, @lancscricket is equally clear that it does not condone the misogynistic comments that have appeared across social media in response. Such behaviour is unacceptable, does not reflect the values of our club or the wider Red Rose family, and has no place in the game.”
The county’s frustrations had already been simmering. Six first-choice players were unavailable: Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood were on England duty; Chris Green had joined the CPL; Ashton Turner was recalled by Western Australia. Captain Keaton Jennings called the clash of dates “ludicrous”. Debutant off-spinner Arav Shetty and the returning George Balderson were drafted in under pressure and did as well as could be expected, but a makeshift XI rarely survives long at Finals Day.
Privately, Lancashire accept the umpire’s decision is final; publicly, they want assurance that the technology operates consistently. A senior coach put it plainly afterwards: “Players buy into DRS because they believe it’s spot-on. When it looks off, confidence slips.”
The ECB is expected to respond this week. Regardless of any clarification, Lancashire are already back in pre-season planning mode. Livingstone will move on quickly – he usually does – though the memory of a semi-final turned by an unseen spike may linger a while yet.
