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.
