Liam Livingstone extends contract with Lancashire to the end of 2024

Liam Livingstone has capped a breakout year by extending his contract with Lancashire to the end of 2024.

An explosive batsman for club and country, 28-year-old Livingstone has been a mainstay in the Lancashire lineup across all three formats since his debut in their 2015 Blast-winning campaign and he has made 163 appearances for the county. He averages 38.36 with the bat in first-class matches and has a strike rate of 144.73 in T20s and 165.78 in T20Is.

Livingstone earned call-ups to England's white-ball squads, most recently for the T20 World Cup, and he made his ODI debut in India in March.

Playing just his sixth T20I, Livingstone scored scored England's fastest century in the format with a 42-ball effort in a losing cause against Pakistan in July. He has made numerous appearances in T20 leagues around the world, including the IPL, Big Bash and PSL, with Peshawar Zalmi retaining him in the platinum category on Friday.

Livingstone has struck a century in each form of the game for Lancashire - including five first-class tons - and in 2018 he became one of just six Red Rose batsmen to notch a century in T20 cricket with a 51-ball blitz at Derbyshire. He has also added leg-spin and off-spin bowling to his game in recent seasons, picking up 83 wickets across all three formats for Lancashire and offering a handy option in the England attack.

"I have always said that it is a privilege to play for the Red Rose and I am delighted to have the opportunity to continue doing that until at least 2024 and hopefully much longer after that," Livingstone said. "The coaching team and supporters have shown great faith in me throughout my career and I am determined to pay that back by helping to deliver trophies to Emirates Old Trafford over the next few years."

Mark Chilton, Lancashire's director of cricket performance, said: "We're really pleased to have secured Liam's services for the next three years. His performance levels and reputation in world cricket continue to grow and he is a huge asset to our squad - in all formats of the game.

"At the age of 28, Liam is now one of the more experienced players in the dressing room at Lancashire. He's a match-winner, destructive in all facets of the game now and those are the players that you want in your side."

Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan signed a two-year contract extension with Northamptonshire on Friday. Kerrigan had a year to run on his original contract but has now committed to the club until at least the end of the 2024 season.

After gaining promotion in 2019, Northamptonshire take their place in Division One of the LV= Insurance County Championship next year and Kerrigan was looking forward to what lay ahead.

"It's a really exciting time to be at the club," Kerrigan said. "We've got Will Young coming in who's a high-class player and I'm sure he'll be chomping at the bit to get going. There's a good blend and mix of young and experienced players in our squad so hopefully we can be really competitive in the County Championship."