Pakistan v England: Liam Livingstone to make Test debut in Rawalpindi

Test skipper Ben Stokes and Liam Livingstone were portion of the England squad that won the T20 World Cup

All-rounder Liam Livingstone volition marque his Test debut successful England's archetypal Test against Pakistan successful Rawalpindi connected Thursday.

Ben Duckett volition unfastened the batting, playing his archetypal Test since 2016, successful spot of the dropped Alex Lees.

The three-Test bid is England's archetypal successful Pakistan for 17 years.

England halted touring Pakistan aft gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka squad autobus successful 2009.

They returned for a T20 bid successful September and October, winning 4-3.

England XI for archetypal Test v Pakistan: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Liam Livingstone, Jack Leach, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson.

Lancashire's Livingstone was portion of the England squad that won the T20 World Cup successful Australia earlier this period and has forged a estimation arsenic 1 of the foremost white-ball cricketers successful the world.

He has not played a first-class lucifer since September of past twelvemonth but did diagnostic successful England's warm-up against England Lions successful Abu Dhabi past week, hitting 36 from 23 balls and taking 2 wickets.

Captain Ben Stokes said Livingstone's deficiency of red-ball cricket volition not hamper him arsenic helium becomes the 708th antheral to play a Test for England.

"The accomplishment helium has with the shot and the mode helium plays with the bat is precise aligned with the mode we privation to spot the squad play," said Stokes.

"I don't needfully deliberation that not playing a red-ball crippled is going to beryllium excessively overmuch of a happening for him. He's a precise earthy cricketer, he's going to spell retired determination and truly explicit himself.

"I'm looking guardant to seeing him successful the whites. He did accidental erstwhile helium got his achromatic pads retired of the container 'what are these?'"

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Despite the inclusion of Livingstone, England person stuck with six batters and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes astatine seven.

That means lone 2 frontline seamers successful James Anderson and Ollie Robinson, with Stokes operating arsenic the 3rd gait bowler. Mark Wood misses retired with the hep wounded that hampered him astatine the extremity of the World Cup, but the Durham paceman should beryllium acceptable for the 2nd Test.

Stokes explained that Livingstone's quality to crook the shot some ways - helium bowls leg-spin and off-spin - gave him the borderline implicit Surrey's Jacks, the uncapped off-spinning all-rounder.

The skipper described Livingstone arsenic the "third spinner", suggesting a greater relation for erstwhile skipper Joe Root's off-breaks.

"I've already spoken to Rooty," said Stokes. "I'm going to effort to usage him rather a lot.

"I deliberation helium underused himself. He's really got immoderate precise bully assets arsenic an off-spin bowler. He's been moving precise hard connected his bowling."

Harry Brook keeps his spot successful the mediate bid having replaced the injured Jonny Bairstow astatine the extremity of the location summer, portion Nottinghamshire left-hander Duckett, 28, returns to triumph his 5th cap.

In Brook, Duckett and Livingstone, England volition tract 3 batters who person excelled successful shorter forms of the game.

"Ducky showed retired present successful the T20s conscionable however bully helium is against rotation bowling," said Stokes. "I'm excited to person him astatine the top.

"The mode successful which Harry's gone astir his first-class cricket implicit the past year, we won't spot overmuch quality retired present successful the subcontinent. Jonny is simply a large miss successful this Test squad retired here, but we're precise blessed to person idiosyncratic similar Brooky to regenerate him.

"Livi volition astir apt effort to deed a fewer implicit the media centre, nary doubt."

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