T20 World Cup 2022: "Best spinner in the world in this format" - Liam Livingstone hails Rashid Khan ahead of Afghanistan clash

England batting all-rounder Liam Livingstone is wary of Afghanistan's spin wizard Rashid Khan ahead of their opening game of the T20 World Cup on Saturday, October 22. While Livingstone refuses to underestimate Afghanistan, he assures that England have their preparations on point.

Rashid will arguably be one of the players to watch out for in the ongoing T20 World Cup in Australia. The 24-year-old is one of the most experienced Afghan cricketers and is their highest wicket-taker in the shortest format.

Currently, he has 116 wickets, including two fifers, in 70 games at an average of 14.04. He is also the fastest bowler to take 100 T20I wickets.

In a blog post on ecb.co.uk, Livingstone stated that he expects a challenging contest against Afghanistan, who have a host of match-winners in their repertoire. The 29-year-old also feels that Afghanistan should know about England's strengths and weaknesses and hailed Rashid as the best T20 spinner in the world, saying:.

"Our first game on Saturday is against Afghanistan. At this level, there are no secrets, and every player is aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses – we have a good idea of how Afghanistan will play, and they will know all about us. Take Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan, he is a good pal, and we all know what he can do to damage a team with his variations. He is the best spinner in the world in this format.

"We know it will be a challenging game, and they have a team full of match-winners. Their form recently in this format has been excellent and they deserve to be here, having qualified outright amongst the best eight teams in the world."

Rashid also has significant bowling experience in Australian conditions, having played for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League (BBL) since 2017. He has 92 scalps in 61 games at an average of 16.69 in the the T20 league.

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"I feel in a great place after my ankle injury" - Liam Livingstone

Liam Livingstone. (Credits: Getty)

After missing some of England's most recent games due to an ankle injury suffered during The Hundred, Livingstone revealed putting in the hard yards to return to match fitness.

Declaring himself ready for the competition, he added:

"I feel in a great place after my ankle injury. I have worked tirelessly with England physio Craig de Weymarn to get myself in a position to be fit, and after some intense rehab, I’m ready to play.

"For the past couple of months, I have been icing my ankle daily to control the swelling and improve my movement and flexibility. Having come through the warm-up in Brisbane against Pakistan last Monday, I am ready for the intensity of a world tournament."

England are coming off back-to-back series wins over Pakistan and Australia and will be keen for their second T20 World Cup crown.