Liam Dawson handed England Test recall after Shoaib Bashir is ruled out
Bashir took the match-winning wicket in a tense finish at Lord's on Monday evening, having already broken the little finger on his left hand, and is set for surgery in the coming days.
England have run through a host of different spinning options since Dawson last held the shirt, with the tally hitting double figures once all-rounders are included, but his consistently impressive performances have persuaded the selectors to draft him in for the fourth Rothesay Test.
Welcome, Daws! 👋
Spinner Liam Dawson joins our squad for the Fourth Test match against India 🏏
Full story 👇
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 15, 2025
Dawson got the nod ahead of fellow left-armer Jack Leach, despite the latter being centrally contracted and racking up 39 caps since 2018. He is now in line for a dream Ashes tour this winter, with Leach facing an uncertain future.
'Liam Dawson deserves his call-up. He has been in outstanding form in the County Championship and consistently puts in strong performances for Hampshire,' said selector Luke Wright.
Dawson offers a compelling all-round package, with 18 first-class centuries to his name and a solid reputation as a fielder. He returned to the England fold for the first time under Brendon McCullum earlier this summer, taking four for 20 in his T20 comeback match at Durham.
Speaking after that game, he admitted: 'I had got to an age where I probably thought international cricket was gone.'
England have released seamers Jamie Overton and Sam Cook to play in the County Championship for Surrey and Essex respectively, with Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson retained as additional pace options in a 14-man squad.
Chris Woakes could be rested in Manchester after struggling to find his best form this summer but one player who has no intention of sitting out is Jofra Archer.
He played a key role in the thrilling 22-run win at the home of cricket, his first match back after a four-and-a-half-year injury absence. Archer routinely cleared the 90mph mark, struck with his third ball of the match and took two vital wickets on the final morning.
England have carefully managed his return to action following previous setbacks but now that he has the taste for it, Archer wants to make up for lost time.
Asked if he was ready to go again in the fourth Test after getting through just under 40 overs at Lord's, he said: 'I can play the other two if they let me.
'I don't want to lose this series. I told Keysy (ECB managing director Rob Key) that I wanted to play the Test summer and I wanted to play the Ashes.
'I think one tick is already there and I will do everything possible in my power to be on the plane in November, or just before.
Archer's consistent ability to summon express speeds was a slight surprise given the sharp uptick in workloads compared to the white-ball arena, but he was desperate to give everything to the cause.
'I think everybody put their body on the line, so it'd be a bit bad if I didn't as well,' he said.
'Most of the last day is a blur. It's nice to bowl fast but getting wickets is the most important thing.'
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