Liam Livingstone

Born: August 4, 1993, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumberland 

Role: All-rounder

Debut: 2015

The more pressure you throw at Liam Livingstone, the better. Few players operate with such a carefree approach at the crease and his power hitting has been a true credit to Lancashire in all formats. After catching the attention of the international selectors for his confident and consistent performances, he hit back-to-back hundreds against Sri Lanka over the winter and he has been tipped for a bright future at the highest level.

Livingstone was first introduced into the squad as a counterattacking figure at Number 7 in Championship cricket and he showed his class almost immediately, recording his first century for Lancashire against Somerset in only his second first-class innings.

He showed similar class on his List A debut for the county, striking 91 against Kent at Canterbury in August 2015. The Cumbrian-born batsman had already attracted significant media attention before then for an incredible innings of 350 from only 138 balls in a club game for Nantwich.

The previous season he hit a double-hundred in a Second XI game against Yorkshire and it was only a matter of time before Lancashire tested his impressive credentials.

Livingstone’s breakthrough season featured a domestic title for Lancashire, as the county secured the Tweny20 trophy at Edgbaston. He emerged as a dependable slip fielder, a destructive batsman and a useful spin option in all formats. 

In the 2016 curtain-raiser, Livingstone hit 70 on his first-class debut in an eight-wicket win over Nottinghamshire and he followed that up with the aforementioned century at Taunton.

Throughout the season, he continued to show his potential as a future star, topping Lancashire’s batting averages in red-ball cricket and achieving a career-best of 108 against Warwickshire on home soil.

Livingstone developed a penchant for bullying Yorkshire bowlers in the T20 Blast last summer, equaling the club record for the fastest fifty (21 balls), before hitting three maximums in succession in the reverse fixture at Headingley.

He later struck 98 against Derbyshie in the Royal London Cup in a televised fixture, as praise continued to pour in for his talents. His stock continued to rise over the close season after he was called up to the England Lions team, as well as being included in Team North for the inaugural North/South Series.

England Lions performances were particularly strong for Livingstone, who hit successive hundreds against Sri Lanka, including a new career-best of 140 not out. It was a feat only Kevin Pietersen had achieved before him and he went on to top-score with 57 in the opening North/South match.