BARROW’S Liam Livingstone has been selected as part of a 55-man pool of players who will return to training ahead of the England cricket season.

The 26-year-old all-rounder has been selected for the England training squad in preparation for when play resumes in August.

Liam will be joined by regulars like Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Jofra Archer and Joe Root, as well as uncapped players Dan Lawrence, James Bracey, Phil Salt, Jamie Overton, Henry Brookes, Brydon Carse, Amar Virdi, Laurie Evans, Will Jacks, Ollie Robinson, Richard Gleeson, Sam Hain, Tom Helm and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, to work under England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) guidance

Liam said: “It’s so nice to be picked. First and foremost, it is nice to get back to training.

“It’s been a long time so finally there’s a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel which is a nice feeling.

“We got sent home with little bits of equipment which have helped us with most of our strength stuff in lockdown.

“Thankfully, we’ve been able to get out while the weather's been this good after spending most of the time indoors. It’s good to get out there in this weather and go for runs. We knew that we weren’t going to be playing until August 1, we were told that a couple of weeks ago. We kind of knew what to expect.

“Hopefully, come August it does start and doesn’t get pushed back like it has been. It is good we have a day to aim for and train for now which is what we’ve been after for a while now.

“We can train for a purpose and a goal which is what we’ve needed. It's not much fun being inside. To represent my country again would be incredible. Unfortunately, there are a lot of players who will miss out even if they pick a second squad. It is just about working hard and try to hit the ground running.

“I will represent Barrow on the pitch. I am very proud of where I come from, I have a lot of family and friends. I've sent a lot of time in lockdown in Barrow. It’s always nice to remember where you come from. I’ll always be really proud.”

ECB performance director Mo Bobat, who joined the selectors and the head coach Chris Silverwood in putting together the list, said: “It’s really pleasing to be in a position to have players returning to training and a huge amount of work has been done by many to get us this far.

“The pool of players will give selectors strong options when it comes to selecting squads across formats further down the line, as we move closer to our aim of playing international cricket this summer.”