But he has answered an ‘SOS’ from captain James Anderson and head coach Steven Croft to play Lancashire’s next two Championship fixtures against Kent and Derbyshire, helping to alleviate an injury crisis with Chris Green, Luke Wells, Arav Shetty, Ajeet Singh Dale, Paul Coughlin, Phil Salt and Mitchell Stanley all unavailable.
“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.
“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.”
Lancashire sit fourth in Division Two after six matches and host third-placed Kent at Blackpool on Friday. Their promotion hopes took a blow last week when Green was ruled out of the rest of his stint with a fractured thumb but Ben McDermott, who is with the club for the Blast, has been named in the Championship squad for Friday’s match.
Joe Moores, the 17-year-old wicketkeeper-batter who has impressed in the Blast, is also in line for a first-class debut after he was included in the squad, while Anderson is back from an injury sustained in Lancashire’s opening Blast match at The Oval.
