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  5. Baz rang me, and I was over the moon: Liam Livingstone on surprise Test call-up

Baz rang me, and I was over the moon: Liam Livingstone on surprise Test call-up

Stokesy had just asked if I still wanted to play Test cricket so there was that little steer that maybe there was a chance: Liam Livingstone

Edited By: Kartik Mehindru @mehindrukartik New Delhi Published : Oct 15, 2022 18:36 IST, Updated : Oct 15, 2022 18:36 IST
Liam Livingstone | File Photo
Image Source : IANS Liam Livingstone | File Photo

Highlights

  • Livingstone added that despite being thrown in the deep end, he is "ready to swim"
  • The 29-year-old added his style of batting will suit the current blueprint
  • Livingstone earned his maiden call-up in 2018

England's destructive all-rounder Liam Livingstone had no idea about the Test call-up and was over the moon when the announcement was made.

An ankle injury while playing for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred forced Livingstone to miss the long T20I series in Pakistan and he has flown straight into Australia from England to begin his limited training before the showpiece global event. Livingstone will be looking to make his Test debut in Pakistan, having been called up to the Test squad for the first time since England's tour of New Zealand in the spring of 2018. The big hitter is also the new recipient of England's Annual Central Contract.

Explaining the sequence of events which landed him a place in the Test squad, Livingstone said, "Stokesy (Test skipper Ben Stokes) had just asked if I still wanted to play Test cricket so there was that little steer that maybe there was a chance. But you never know until they actually pick you. Then Baz (head coach Brendon McCullum) rang me and just said that I was going. I was over the moon," Livingstone was quoted as saying by the Guardian.

Livingstone added that despite being thrown in the deep end, he is "ready to swim".

"But I believe you learn how to deal with all of that much more in the IPL than you would in a four-day county game. So, yeah, moving up to Test cricket is me being thrown into the deep end. But some people can swim, and some people can't. I feel ready to swim."

The 29-year-old added his style of batting will suit the current blueprint being followed by the Test side in its success over the last seven matches. England have won six of the seven previous Tests -- against New Zealand, India and South Africa -- with their aggressive and positive play under Stokes and McCullum.

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2022: PCB appoint personal physiotherapist for Shaheen Afridi, Fakhar Zaman

The 29-year-old, who has only focused on shorter formats of the game in recent years, said it was a "really nice surprise" to be called up for the Test series against Pakistan. On whether he had heard any talk of a potential call-up before McCullum called him up to inform him he was in the squad, Livingstone said, "No! It was a really nice surprise."

Livingstone earned his maiden call-up in 2018.

(Inputs IANS)

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