Livingstone to play first Championship game since 2021

Liam Livingstone is set to play his first County Championship game for five years, after being named in Lancashire's squad for their game with Kent, starting on Friday (11:00 BST).

Livingstone's last involvement was in 2021, but he is set to play in the four-day Division Two match at Stanley Park in Blackpool.

The 32-year-old has been a white-ball-only player in recent years, but he is helping his county through an injury crisis after being asked by captain Sir James Anderson to play.

"I don't think I'd be playing if everyone was fit, but Jimmy asked and if I was ever going to play for anyone, Jimmy and Crofty (coach Steven Croft) are probably my top two people," Livingstone told BBC Radio Lancashire.

Australia white-ball batter Ben McDermott, currently playing for the county in the T20 Blast, has also signed a contract to play in the next two Championship games.

Lancashire are fourth in Division Two after six games, 10 points adrift of the promotion places.

Livingstone made his first-class debut a decade ago for Lancashire, playing 62 red-ball games for the Red Rose, scoring seven hundreds and 15 half-centuries in those, with a career best of 224.

He even played one Test for England - the 3-0 series win in Pakistan in late 202 - but that was his last involvement in whites.

Since then, he has made his name as a white-ball specialist around the world, featuring in all the major T20 franchise leagues and The Hundred.

Lancashire have struggled in the T20 Blast this season, but Livingstone has been a shining light with scores of 85 not out and 81 as well as wickets in all four of his games.

And with Australian all-rounder Chris Green ruled out with a fractured thumb, Livingstone's powerful batting and off-spin combination makes him a good option to stand in for the Championship matches this week and next.

"I feel like I'm batting as well as I ever have," he said. "I feel like I'm in good nick.

"We've obviously had a lot of injuries and the club has given me a lot, so it's nice to give back and try to help out.

"I think it's good for me and good for my game. I've complained over the last few years about not being able to get in a rhythm and not having time in the middle, having batted lower down the order.

"So here's my chance to have some time in the middle."

Scott Read, BBC Radio Lancashire

The last time Liam Livingstone played a County Championship match Lancashire were title contenders, pushing for the Division One trophy alongside Hampshire and finishing second behind the eventual 2021 winners, Warwickshire.

Fast forward five seasons and he is returning to lend a helping hand to a squad hampered by injury. Livingstone says James Anderson and Steven Croft are about the only two people he would have said yes to, and how his captain and head coach could do with a little good news.

It comes after the Red Rose lost three players for the remainder of the season inside the first three games of the year, with season-ending injuries for Luke Wells and Ajeet Singh Dale coming in the same match, against Gloucestershire.

Australian all-rounder Chris Green answered the call to arrive earlier than expected to bolster the numbers for two Championship games, before the start of the T20 Blast, only to suffer a fractured thumb to send him home early.

Livingstone's presence in the dressing room should be a big help for a team who have won just two of their opening six fixtures in Division Two, and have yet to get the consistency they would have hoped for. However, they are still well placed to compete for promotion.

His last innings for Lancashire came in the T20 Blast on Tuesday night - his unbeaten 85 to win the match at Durham was an example of just what an exceptional white-ball player he is.

Livingstone has scored just over 3,000 first-class runs at an average of slightly less than 40, and in 2019 he featured 11 times and averaged 46 as Lancashire won the Division Two title.

Yes, it's a long time since he's played a red-ball game and, even for a player as gifted as him, who knows how it will go. But one thing is for sure, he'll receive a very warm welcome back when he walks out at Stanley Park wearing his Lancashire whites once again.