BARROW CC have been robbed of a star attraction – and their loss is England’s gain.

Lancashire batsman Liam Livingstone had plans to turn out for his home town club in the recent game against Fleetwood.

But his call-up into the England Lions squad for next week’s triangular tournament ruled out a temporary return to Ernest Pass.

And, unfortunately, the big-hitting Barrovian believes that the opportunity is unlikely to come again.

“I was hoping to play but the call-up to the Lions put paid to that. There was no point in risking injury,” he said, regretting that the chance of a reappearance for the club where he started out as a junior has now gone.

“I don’t think I’ll play for them again."

The 22-year-old is making a big name for himself at Old Trafford and is thrilled at his inclusion in the the Lions, which is effectively a stepping stone for a full England call-up.

“The Lions play a key role in our development of international cricketers and we believe this is an exciting squad,” explained selector James Whitaker.

Livinstone added: “I’m delighted the way things have gone for me – especially as I wasn’t even sure I would be getting any first team cricket at the start of the season.”

His impressive performances with the bat caught the eye of the selectors and led to a place in the 13-man squad to face Pakistan A and Sri Lanka A in a triangular tournament.

His 582 runs at an average of 72.75 have helped Lancashire to stay in touch with the top of the County Championship.

The Lions take on Pakistan A at Cheltenham on Tuesday before moving to Northampton two days later to face Sri Lanka A.

They round off the tournament with two games at Canterbury.

The Lions party with an average age of 22 includes Brett D’Oliveira, grandson of Basil D’Oliveira and will be captained by Middlesex’s Dawid Malan.

The full squad is: Dawid Malan (Middlesex, captain), Daniel Bell-Drummond (Kent), Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire), Joe Clarke (Worcestershire), Brett D'Oliveira (Worcestershire), Sam Billings (Kent, wicketkeeper), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Tom Curran (Surrey), Jamie Overton (Somerset), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), George Garton (Sussex), Sam Curran (Surrey).