Renegades blow as Livingstone a shock Test call-up

The Melbourne Renegades will start their KFC BBL season without No.1 draft pick Liam Livingstone after the white-ball star was a shock call-up for England's Test tour of Pakistan in December.

But Livingstone is to still committed to coming to the Big Bash this summer, even though he will be available for fewer games than the Renegades had originally expected when making him the league's first ever draft pickearlier this year.

England will play three Tests between December 1 and 21 in Rawalpindi, Multan and Karachi respectively, in what is their first Test tour of the country since 2005.

Livingstone was already one of the several players set to miss the back half of BBL|12 as they decamp to play in the SA20, South Africa's start-up T20 league, which is scheduled to begin on January 10.

The Renegades have six games scheduled between the end of Pakistan-England Test series and the start of SA20, with the Renegades' Christmas Eve clash with the Hurricanes in Hobart the first opportunity for Livingstone to play, in what would be the Gades' fourth match of BBL|12.

The Gades also play the Sydney Sixers twice (December 28, SCG and December 30, Geelong), the Scorchers (January 1, Marvel), the Melbourne derby blockbuster against the Stars (January 3, MCG), and the Hurricanes again (January 7, Marvel) before Livingstone's expected exit.

With the draft process expected to continue for BBL|13 and beyond, just one appearance for the Renegades this summer would grant the club retention rights next season.

With Renegades head coach David Saker currently working with England's T20 squad, the club is understood to have become aware of his Test selection earlier this week.

"We believe Liam can still have a big impact for us in BBL|12, and in our recent discussions, he's still looking forward to being part of our team, being back in the BBL and playing as many games as he can for our club following his international commitments," club General Manager James Rosengarten said today.

"We'll continue to work with Liam over the coming weeks as to exactly how this looks.

"At the same time, we have already been working behind the scenes on finding the best player for our needs when Liam is unavailable.

"There are several world-class players who are now available to us during this period, and we will leave no stone unturned to give our team the best chance of success this season."

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A BBL spokesperson said: "As is the case in all T20 competitions, changing player availabilities are not unprecedented or unexpected. We are well prepared to assist all clubs to navigate changing international commitments for overseas players.

"The strength of the Draft nominations pool means the Renegades now have a number of world class options to select from while Liam is unavailable."

League officials confirmed that because Livingstone's availability has changed from that stated in his draft nomination, his fee will be prorated, giving the Gades finances to secure an international replacement player.

T20 superstars such as Andre Russell and Faf du Plessis, who went undrafted due to their limited availability at the back end of the tournament could now be top of the Gades shopping list for a lucrative three-game pre-Christmas stint.

The Gades also have the option of looking outside the draft nomination pool, which could open the door for the likes of England's Moeen Ali, whose decision to step back from Test cricket paved the way for Livingstone's call up, or unselected England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, but that would need sign-off from the BBL's technical committe.

The Renegades also selected Afghanistan's Mujeeb ur Rahman and West Indian Akeal Hosein, both spinners, with their other two draft selections.

Pakistan this week also announced Test and limited-overs fixtures against New Zealand that will affect the availability of the Hurricanes trio of draft recruits from that country.

Pakistan host the Black Caps for two Tests following on from the England series in Karachi and Multan that could see Faheem Ashraf unavailable until the Hurricanes' final three games of the season and any finals.

The Canes also face losing key white-ball player Shadab Khan for window in mid-January with three Pakistan-NZ ODIs scheduled between January 11 and 15.

Livingstone's Test call-up, his first since being an uncapped squad member on a 2018 tour of New Zealand, represents something of a gamble by England given his white-ball focus and lack of recent first-class cricket.

Livingstone was the eye-catching name in a 15-man squad for the series in December, joined by fellow newcomer Will Jacks and the returning duo of Keaton Jennings and Ben Duckett.

Jennings and Duckett will both be eyeing the opening slot after Alex Lees was axed, an omission flagged by his failure to earn a central contract this week.

Livingstone has not played first-class cricket in more than a year after becoming a mainstay of England's limited-overs side.

Livingstone, who is expected to return from a serious ankle injury in England's final T20 World Cup warm-up fixture against Pakistan on Monday, missed the entire county season with Lancashire this year, and has managed just eight games in the two previous campaigns, averaging 11 in 2021 and 18.5 in 2020.

Moeen decision to step back from a return to Test cricket has opened the door for Livingstone and Will Jacks to come into the squad, with their style likely to chime with the attacking instincts of captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.

Livingstone is not entirely untested against the red ball, with seven centuries in 62 first-class games.

Lees' omission could spell the end of his time at the top, with the left-hander averaging just 23.64 from 10 appearances this year. Zak Crawley continues to enjoy the selectors' backing despite his own modest record.

He has two potential top-order partners, Jennings – who has scored subcontinent centuries in Mumbai and Galle and was Division One's top run-scorer in 2022 – and Duckett.

The latter played four Tests in 2016 but is a more consistent performer now and won glowing reviews for his efforts in the recent T20s in Karachi and Lahore.

As expected, Stuart Broad is absent from the bowling attack, with his fiancée Mollie King expecting their first child next month.

Durham's Matthew Potts is a more surprising absentee given his excellent returns at the start of the summer, with England preferring the height and pace of Jamie Overton.

England Test squad for Pakistan tour: Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Will Jacks, Keaton Jennings, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood.