Liam Livingstone has admitted his call-up for England's upcoming Test match series against Pakistan came as a "really nice surprise".
The 29-year-old has not played red ball cricket in more than a year, having chosen to focus more on the shorter formats in recent years. But his style of batting is well-suited to the new brand of Test cricket England have been playing under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum and his ability to bowl a mix of off and leg spin is a rare skill that means he will be competing with Will Jacks for the role of second spinner in Pakistan.
Livingstone had brief conversations with both Stokes and McCullum about Test cricket, but said he had "no idea" whether they saw him as part of their plans. And when asked if he had heard any talk of a potential call-up before McCullum let him know he had made the squad, Livingstone told the Guardian : "No! It was a really nice surprise.
"Stokesy 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 rang me and just said that I was going. I was over the moon."
Despite admitting he is "being thrown in the deep end" given his lack of red ball cricket in recent years, Livingstone is confident he is "ready to swim". He added: "The biggest step in international cricket, and people say this about Test cricket, is dealing with the intense scrutiny and pressure when playing for your country.
"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 in the deep end. But some people can swim, some people can't. I feel ready to swim."
Livingstone earned his first Test call-up in 2018 after an impressive County Championship campaign with Lancashire that saw him average 47.23. Since then, he has made 1,049 runs at less than 30 and has not scored a first-class half-century in three years.
"That was when I concentrated on red-ball cricket," he explained. "I was averaging 40 plus the first five years of my career and so I feel like I've got the technique for Test cricket.
"After [scoring two hundreds for the England Lions against] Sri Lanka I got called up for the Test tour of New Zealand. I thought that I should have had an opportunity to play there but it didn't happen.
"I then fell out of the squad at the start of the next season when there was a change of selectors. Obviously Stokesy and Baz have seen something in me and I think my character and style of play will suit that environment really well."
