In a major blow to England, the flamboyant all-rounder Liam Livingstone has been ruled out of the entire Test series against Pakistan due to a knee injury, confirmed the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday.
Notably, Livingstone, who was making his debut in the format, jarred his knee while fielding on the boundary on day two of the ongoing first Test in Rawalpindi. The Lancashire cricketer remained off the field for all of Pakistan’s first innings. He did bat during England’s second effort and scored an unbeaten 7 but was looking in clear discomfort.
On Sunday morning (day four), a scan revealed the extent of the damage. Livingstone will now head back to the UK on Tuesday to begin a rehabilitation programme under the supervision of the ECB. England have not yet made a decision on whether to call up a replacement for Livingstone.
“England Men’s all-rounder Liam Livingstone has been ruled out of the rest of the Test series against Pakistan with a right knee injury. He will return to the UK on Tuesday and commence rehab with the ECB and Lancashire medical teams, respectively. At this stage, England have yet to make a decision to call up a replacement,” said ECB in an official statement.
Speaking about the ongoing contest, the tourists scored a massive 657 runs in their first innings and in response Pakistan reached close with 579 runs. In the second essay, England declared at 264 runs giving the hosts a target of 343 runs to clinch the first red-ball contest. After 35 overs in their second innings, Pakistan have managed to score 104 with a loss of three wickets and need 239 runs more to seal the deal.
