Liam Livingstone could make his Test debut in March
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Uncapped batsman Liam Livingstone has been included in England’s squad for the two-Test series in New Zealand in March and April.
Livingstone, who plays for Lancashire in the County Championship, has replaced fellow batsman Gary Ballance, who was cut from the squad even though he didn’t feature in the Ashes.
While he has yet to make his Test debut, the 24-year-old has represented England in two Twenty20 Internationals to date, with both matches coming against South Africa in June last year.
In the past season of the County Championship, Livingstone finished with 803 runs at an average of 47.23. His best performance came against Warwickshire in September, where he struck a career-best 224.
“Liam has been a player that we have been impressed with for quite some time, having performed well in the county system with Lancashire and over the past couple of years with the England Lions,” national selector James Whitaker said. “He is a very talented and tough cricketer who has the ideal qualities and character to be successful in the Test arena.
“During the recent Lions tour of Australia, he was a standout performer and showed a lot of maturity in his attitude and put in some strong performances. We are particularly impressed with the way he bats against spin and is equally adept against the seamers. Liam is also highly regarded at his county Lancashire and will captain the side in the Specsavers County Championship during the 2018 campaign.”
Meanwhile, batsman James Vince and opener Mark Stoneman have retained their spots in the side despite struggling during the Ashes.
Vince scored 242 runs at an average of 26.88, while Stoneman amassed 232 runs at an average of 25.77.
Despite their disappointing performance in the Ashes, England head coach Trevor Bayliss said the duo deserved “another couple of games to show us what they’ve got”.
Pace bowler Mark Wood is also back in the side after recovering from ankle injury that has kept him out of the national team since July 2017.
“After a frustrating period with injuries, Mark is now back to full fitness and is looking forward to being part of our Test plans,” Whitaker said. “He will play a significant part in our forthcoming ODI tour of Australia and we will be paying close attention to his efforts over the next few weeks.”
All-rounder Ben Stokes has also been drafted into the side, but his availability will be subject to whether he is charged with actual bodily harm for his involvement in a street fight outside a nightclub in Bristol in September.
As for seamers Tom Curran, who played in the Ashes, and Jake Ball, they suffered the same fate as Ballance.
“All three players (Gary Ballance, Jake Ball, Tom Curran) have worked hard on the recent Ashes tour,” Whitaker said. “Unfortunately, they miss out on selection for New Zealand. All three will return to county cricket and will be looking to start the season well with a view to staking their claim to get back into selection reckoning. They are talented players and I am sure their time will come again.”
England’s Test Squad: Joe Root (Captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Crane, Ben Foakes, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood