Liam Livingstone will pull on Lancashire whites for the first time since 2022 when Kent visit Blackpool on Friday, stepping in after a spate of injuries left the club short of senior players.
The 30-year-old signed a T20-only contract in February, seemingly closing the door on red-ball cricket. Yet a phone call from captain James Anderson and head coach Steven Croft changed the picture. With Chris Green, Luke Wells, Arav Shetty, Ajeet Singh Dale, Paul Coughlin, Phil Salt and Mitchell Stanley all sidelined, Lancashire asked their most explosive all-format talent to fill a gap for the next two Championship fixtures, against Kent and Derbyshire.
“I’ve complained over the last few years about not being able to get into a rhythm, not having time in the middle to bat, having batted lower down the order,” Livingstone told BBC Radio Lancashire. “Here’s my chance to have some time in the middle.”
He added: “I don’t think I’d be playing if everybody was fit, to be perfectly honest. But Jimmy asked, and if I was ever going to play for anyone, Jimmy and Croft are probably my top two people… I’ll have one training session on Thursday and then straight in on Friday. I can’t stand here and say I’m really prepared for it, but it is what it is.”
The recall ends a three-and-a-half-year break from first-class cricket that began after his solitary Test appearance in Rawalpindi, cut short by a knee injury while fielding. Since then franchise leagues have dominated his diary; two appearances for Sunrisers Hyderabad in this year’s IPL underline how white-ball heavy his schedule has become. Even so, an unbeaten 85 from 31 balls in Tuesday’s rain-affected Blast win at Durham showed his touch remains intact.
Lancashire sit fourth in Division Two, 13 points behind third-placed Kent after six matches. Promotion remains realistic, but the squad has thinned at an awkward time. Analyst-turned-selector Graeme Onions believes Livingstone’s inclusion could provide “a jolt of energy”, though he cautions the switch of formats is never straightforward. “Rhythm in four-day cricket comes from time at the crease and overs in the legs,” he said. “Liam’s short-format brilliance doesn’t guarantee that, yet his presence alone lifts a dressing-room.”
Anderson returns from the side strain picked up in the Blast opener at The Oval, while 17-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Joe Moores is rewarded with a first Championship squad place after tidy work behind the stumps in T20s. Australian Ben McDermott, signed primarily for white-ball duties, has also been drafted into the four-day group.
Kent, meanwhile, travel north without Zak Crawley. The opener has chosen to “reset” after a lean start to the summer that cost him his England Test spot, leaving Daniel Bell-Drummond to lead the visitors’ batting. Kent coach Matt Walker played down the disruption, saying Crawley’s decision was “in everyone’s best interests”.
Livingstone’s return might be temporary—he stresses international white-ball commitments remain his main focus—but Lancashire hope two matches of counter-attacking stroke-play and part-time spin will keep their promotion push rolling.
