Lancashire lodge complaint over umpire decision in semis that saw Liam Livingstone dismissed controversially.
Liam Livingstone was fired on Blast Finals Day over the weekend, and Lancashire “formally expressed” their unhappiness to the ECB.
In Lancashire’s run chase against Somerset in the first semi-final, Livingstone was out lbw. Seemingly sure of an inside edge, he reviewed right away. However, Sue Redfern, the third umpire, determined that there was no bat involved prior to the ball hitting the back leg based on UltraEdge’s data.
After Livingstone left, Lancashire’s challenge vanished as the final seven wickets fell for 57 runs, leaving them at 102 for 3, requiring a further 81 from 49 balls.
In a statement posted on X, Lancashire said: “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 allrounder 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.”
Prior to Finals Day, Lancashire had already voiced their displeasure at having to compete in the semi-final without six of their starting players. While on England duty, Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Saqib Mahmood, and Luke Wood were all unavailable; Chris Green had left for the CPL, and Ashton Turner had been called up by Western Australia.
The schedule, which included all-rounder George Balderson playing his first game of the season and Lancashire giving spinner Arav Shetty his T20 debut against Somerset, was deemed “ludicrous” by Keaton Jennings.