Latest news with #LiamDawson
News18
16 hours ago
- Sport
- News18
Not Jacob Bethell, England Set To Include 35-Year-Old Spinner For 4th Test Vs IND
Last Updated: England will give 35-year-old spinner Liam Dawson his fourth Test cap against India in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Old Trafford. Dawson replaces the injured Shoaib Bashir. England will reportedly give 35-year-old spinner Liam Dawson his fourth Test cap against India in the penultimate Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Old Trafford, Manchester. According to the Daily Mail, Dawson will replace the injured Shoaib Bashir, who fractured his left hand in the third Test at Lord's and has been ruled out. Dawson will end an eight-year exile from the format. The left-arm spinner last played a Test in 2017 against South Africa and, after being dropped, went back to the domestic circuit to become one of the most in-form spinners in England. The national selectors reportedly wanted to include him for last year's tour of India, too, but he denied the chance, saying that he wanted playing 11 guarantees or would prefer continuing to play for Hampshire or franchise leagues. 'Probably not now, no. Being honest, there's a few things that have happened over the last year. For me, probably Test cricket now is completely off the radar. But it is what it is, I'm 34 and I want to enjoy my cricket and try to win trophies towards the end of my career," Dawson said at the time. He could be one of the two changes in the hosts' 11, alongside Gus Atkinson who might come in for one of the pacers. Dawson has picked up 148 first-class wickets at an average of 26.1 in the last three years. Before that, his average used to be in the high 30s. The change was led by his wrist position tweaks and mindset alteration under Hampshire coach Graeme Welch. 'When Pop Welch came to Hampshire, Daws had his own way of bowling," Dawson's teammate Keith Barker told the Daily Mail. 'He was always our frontline spinner, but he probably didn't get the wickets he wanted. He's got a wicket-taking mentality now. He gives a little bit more flight on the ball which obviously helps in that regard. When I arrived six years ago, I think he saw his job as trying to keep the run-rate down. Whereas now, he's disappointed if he doesn't bowl as well or take as many wickets as he would like." England are leading the series 2-1. view comments First Published: July 20, 2025, 18:16 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Liam Dawson primed to win his fourth Test cap eight years after his third - having revealed he thought his red-ball career was 'probably done'
Liam Dawson will win his fourth Test cap against India this week, 14 months on from admitting, 'I'm probably done' with an England career. Dawson, 35, has not appeared at Test level for eight years, and told Mail Sport last May that he was prioritising winning trophies with Hampshire rather than settling for being the oldest drinks waiter on cricket's international circuit. However, Shoaib Bashir's broken little finger has presented an opportunity for the slow left-armer to back up the belief of his county peers that he is in the form of his life, and is a far superior bowler to the one selected between December 2016 and July 2017. Back then, he was yet to take 30 first-class wickets in a season, and could only dream of the kind of County Championship returns — 49 in 2023 and 53 in 2024 — that contributed to him being named domestic cricket's most valuable player two years in a row. Last October, after also averaging 60 with the bat, he was voted the Professional Cricketers' Association's player of the year. Even though this three-year-old England regime have placed little value on domestic statistics, it was hard to ignore Dawson's improvement in performance. It is commonplace for spinners to hit career peaks in their 30s, as Graeme Swann, England's best of the modern era, did earlier this century, but Dawson's surge has also been influenced by another Graeme. His involvement comes after Shoaib Bashir broke his finger during the third Test at Lord's Since Graeme Welch arrived as Hampshire's bowling coach in 2022, Dawson has taken 148 first-class wickets at an average of 26.1. Up until the age of 32, his 223 victims had come at 35.2. Ten of his 14 five-wicket hauls have come since the start of the 2023 season. So, what has changed? Primarily, his wrist position. It is now cocked back further, which allows him to impart a greater amount of spin on the ball, and coincides with a change of mindset. Previously, Hampshire used him in a holding role, but he has been transformed into an attacking weapon. It aligns with England captain Ben Stokes' belief that bowlers should always be looking to get opposition batsmen out. 'When Pop Welch came to Hampshire, Daws had his own way of bowling,' said team-mate Keith Barker. 'He was always our frontline spinner, but he probably didn't get the wickets he wanted. He's got a wicket-taking mentality now. He gives a little bit more flight on the ball which obviously helps in that regard. 'When I arrived six years ago, I think he saw his job as trying to keep the run-rate down. Whereas now, he's disappointed if he doesn't bowl as well or take as many wickets as he would like.' Although it was in a different format of the game, Dawson's willingness to give the ball air and deceive opponents in the flight stood out on his recall for the Twenty20 series against West Indies earlier this summer. England appear welded to Bashir as their No 1 spinner, and at 35 Dawson is not a long-term threat, suggesting that his best hope of going to Australia this winter is as one of the reserves. Under Brendon McCullum and Stokes, however, a frontline spinner has always been selected in Test XIs, meaning that he should feature in Manchester from Wednesday and at The Oval later this month. One alternative selection would be to gamble on Jacob Bethell's left-arm spin and lengthen the batting, but that would go against McCullum's recent assertion that Bethell was in the squad as a top-order player. Not that he is in any touch, after trekking around the first three Test venues. In the 40 days since slamming an unbeaten 36 off 16 deliveries sent down by West Indies' bowlers in Southampton on June 10, Bethell has played just one first-class match — a Kookaburra-ball bore draw with Somerset at Edgbaston — plus three Twenty20 fixtures. Dawson will join a series that became increasingly tetchy last week as England went 2-1 up at Lord's, but which nevertheless remains cordial away from the heat of the battle. On-field relations turned sour when the Indians converged on Zak Crawley, following delaying tactics at the end of day three. Opening partner Ben Duckett stepped in amid a flurry of abuse and finger-wagging led by India captain Shubman Gill. Later that evening, in the home dressing room, it was decided that England would not stand for individuals being targeted in such a manner and adopted a pack mentality in response, leading to various send-offs to India's batsmen on the final morning, including one from Jofra Archer to Rishabh Pant after cart-wheeling his off stump.
Hans India
4 days ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Liam Dawson Replaces Injured Bashir in England Squad for 4th Test vs India
Liam Dawson, a left-arm spin bowler, has been added to England's Test team for the 4th match against India at Old Trafford, Manchester. He replaces Shoaib Bashir, who is out with a finger injury. Dawson is 35 years old and last played a Test in 2017. He has done really well for Hampshire in the last two years and won the PCA Player of the Year award in 2023 and 2024. He has played 3 Tests and taken 7 wickets. Sam Cook and Jamie Overton have returned to their county teams to play in the County Championship. There are no other changes to the England squad from the last match. England Squad for the 4th Test: Ben Stokes (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Should Jacob Bethell replace struggling Zak Crawley or Ollie Pope? - The key questions facing England after nail-biting win over India
England head to Manchester for next week's fourth Test with a 2–1 lead over India after their thrilling win at Lord's, but there are still questions to answer. Mail Sport looks at the most urgent ones. Why are England sticking with Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope? In a batsman-friendly series, Crawley is averaging 21 and Pope 31, with 106 of Pope's 186 runs coming in his first innings at Headingley. England's nail-biting win at Lord's has allowed them to gloss over the fact that two of their top three are not pulling their weight, with Jacob Bethell's exclusion looking harder to justify by the game. England remain convinced that a Crawley special - if such a thing still exists - is around the corner. And that leaves Pope the more vulnerable, as he would have been had Bethell come home from the IPL to play against Zimbabwe in May. Instead, the selectors are running out of time to pick him before the Ashes. Does Liam Dawson go straight into the XI at Old Trafford? Brendon McCullum said after the Edgbaston Test that Bethell would be considered only as a batsman, so England seem to be disregarding his part-time left-arm spin. With Manchester usually offering some turn, and Shoaib Bashir missing the rest of the series through injury, the path is clear for Dawson to play his first Test for eight years - reward for the 103 Championship wickets at 22 he took for Hampshire in 2023 and 2024. He will also strengthen the lower order at No 8. But England remain wedded to the Bashir project. Even in the Lord's dressing room on Monday evening, he was lauded for batting, bowling and fielding with a broken finger, not to mention taking the winning wicket. Dawson, then, will have two Tests to show he should be in the Ashes squad. What about Chris Woakes? There have been moments during this series when Woakes has looked all of his 36 years, but he keeps chipping in: three wickets in India's first innings at Lord's including Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja, and the crucial dismissal of Nitish Kumar Reddy just before lunch on the last day. Gus Atkinson hopes to be available again, but England like continuity of selection and Woakes has a superb record at Old Trafford: 35 wickets at 17. Yet if Dawson plays, and England stick with Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer, one of Woakes and Atkinson will have to miss out. Woakes surely can't go to Australia - where he averages 52 with the ball - but England may still regard him as important to their chances of beating India. Have England decided to sledge more? After play on the fourth evening at Lord's, the England dressing room agreed they were in danger of becoming a 'bit too nice' out in the middle. The discussion followed India's aggressive response to Crawley's time-wasting the previous evening, and Mohammed Siraj's send-off of Ben Duckett the next morning. Jofra Archer set the tone on the final day after bowling Rishabh Pant, shouting at him to 'charge that one'. Another flare-up followed when Jadeja and Carse bumped into each other. And England seemed to feed off the aggro better than India. The two teams generally get on, but the stakes are high and it won't take much to reignite passions in Manchester. Can Archer play in back-to-back Tests? The man himself certainly thinks so. One of the concerns before his first Test in four years was whether he could keep his pace up in his third and fourth spells. He scotched those concerns emphatically, having put the wind up India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who followed 220 runs in the first two Tests with scores of 13 and nought. Pant, too, may think twice before taking liberties against 93mph. Mohammed Siraj was fined 15% of his match fee for the send-off he gave to Ben Duckett Ben Duckett hit a match-winning century in Headingley but struggled in his four innings since But Archer performs another role: armed with the fastest bowler on either side, England can back up whatever words they throw India's way with deeds. Should we be worried about Ben Duckett? Since his masterful 149 on the last day at Headingley, Duckett has scored 60 runs in four innings, and at Lord's threw away his wicket twice. With Crawley and Pope struggling, Duckett's role in the top three becomes crucial, because sooner or later England's middle and lower order will not be able to bail them out.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Liam Dawson's recall proves county stalwarts can dare to dream of an England call-up, writes NASSER HUSSAIN
Liam Dawson is an excellent choice to come into the England squad, and probably the team, for next week's fourth Test against India at Old Trafford. And he has a chance now to show what he can do before the Ashes. I've always thought Dawson is a tough cricketer, as well as a talented one. He's got 18 first-class hundreds, 15 five-fors and knows his game inside out — as everyone at Hampshire has been telling us ever since he last played a Test in 2017. I understand why he drifted out of England contention. Not everyone is happy to spend a long tour carrying the drinks, especially when there are so many lucrative franchise offers out there. But relations seem to have thawed and Dawson clearly impressed Brendon McCullum when he returned to international cricket during the recent T20 series against West Indies. You feel for Shoaib Bashir, but that's the nature of the game: an injury opens the door for someone else. And Dawson has the chance to show what a competitor he is, not just with the ball, but with his all-round game. If he goes in at No 8, that could be the start of a seriously strong lower order, possibly with Gus Atkinson, who has scored a Test century, at No 9, and Brydon Carse, who batted so well at Lord's, at No 10. It's clear, too, that England have moved on from Jack Leach, who has a good relationship with Ben Stokes but lacks Dawson's all-round qualities. And that could be important when England decide which spin bowlers to take to Australia this winter. You need steel to succeed out there, and Dawson has it in abundance. It's also interesting that the selectors have gone from one extreme to the other — from picking Bashir based on watching social-media footage to selecting a bloke who already has international experience and has done the hard yards in county cricket. England seem to be moving away from the really left-field selections, such as Josh Hull for last year's Oval Test against Sri Lanka, and saying to the county game: if you score runs and take wickets, you've got a chance. Sam Cook got the nod for the Zimbabwe Test, now Dawson is in the mix again. It's a good pick, and a fillip for domestic cricketers around the country.
