England all-rounder Liam Livingstone has said that his country comes first while discussing his commitment to franchise teams. Livingstone is all set to make his SA20 debut with MI Cape Town.

Livingstone will be playing alongside the likes of South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada and former West Indies captain Kieron Pollard at MI Cape Town.

Speaking to PTI, Livingstone said England still comes first for him when asked about his commitments to franchise teams. Livingstone has played franchise cricket across the world, representing Indian Premier League (IPL) teams Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings, Birmingham Phonenix in The Hundred, Perth Scorchers in Big Bash League (BBL) and Peshawar Zalmi in Pakistan Super League (PSL).

“Yeah, I think England comes first. We see our calendar at the start of the year and see where we have gaps. If we feel like it’s a good opportunity for us to go away and play franchise cricket, then we’ll do that,” said Livingstone.

He went on to say that he tries to work out his cricket calendar at the start of the year. Livingstone was part of the England squad that failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the 2023 ODI World Cup, having won the title in 2019.

“If we feel like we need a rest and it’s going to hinder our international cricket, then we’ll probably have a rest. So I guess at the start of the year, you just try and work out when you can play and where you can go and go from there,” Livingstone added.

The SA20 will kick-start on Wednesday, January 10 when SunRisers Eastern Cape take on Joburg Super Kings. Livingstone’s MI Cape Town will begin their campaign against Durban’s Super Giants on January 11.