|| CF DESK ||

Liam Livingstone of England has been ruled out of the ongoing Test series with Pakistan after suffering a right knee injury during the first Test.

On day two, after England had posted 657 in their first innings, Livingstone jarred his knee while fielding a ball on the boundary.

He sat out Pakistan's first innings but batted in England's second, scoring an unbeaten 7 but appearing to be in pain as he hobbled between the wickets. He did not bowl and scored nine runs in the first two innings.

The extent of the damage was revealed by a scan on Sunday morning (day four). He will now return to the United Kingdom on Tuesday to begin a rehabilitation program overseen by the ECB and the Lancashire medical teams.

At this point, England has not decided whether to call up a replacement. Livingstone, a destructive batter in shorter formats, was the tour's main selling point, offering the team legspin and offspin options.

Will Jacks, who was drafted into the XI for this Test at the last minute due to Ben Foakes' illness, took 6 for 161 with offies of his own on debut. Meanwhile, Leicestershire's Rehan Ahmed, a legspinner, offers an exciting, albeit raw, option.

Fast bowler Mark Wood, also with the squad, seems the most likely to replace Livingstone in the XI in the short term.