At 35 years old, the stalled Test career of this spin-bowling allrounder is about to be revived.
Liam Dawson last played a Test in July 2017. Since then, he has been waiting for another chance in the whites. Now, after eight long years, that wait is set to end. England have included the spin allrounder in their playing XI for the Old Trafford Test against India.
The fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy begins Wednesday in Manchester. England announced their XI a day earlier on Monday.
One change was inevitable—Shoaib Bashir, who suffered a finger injury at Lord’s, has been ruled out of the series. Taking his place is 35-year-old Dawson, drafted in as a like-for-like replacement.
That means Dawson’s stalled Test career will be revived in July itself. So far, he has played just three Tests, taking 7 wickets in 5 bowling innings and scoring 84 runs in 6 batting innings, including a fifty.
Though overlooked at the international level, Dawson has been a standout in domestic cricket with Hampshire. He was named PCA Domestic Player of the Year in both 2023 and 2024.
In 212 first-class matches, Dawson has claimed 371 wickets and scored 10,731 runs at an average of 35.29, with 18 centuries.
Dawson made his international debut across all formats in 2016, but struggled to cement his spot. To date, alongside his three Tests, he has played six ODIs and 14 T20Is for England.
He last appeared in an ODI in November 2022 against Australia. Just last month, after nearly three years, he returned to the T20 side, taking five wickets in a three-match series against West Indies, finishing as joint-highest wicket-taker.
England have made only this one change from their Lord’s XI and currently lead the five-Test series 2-1.
England XI
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wk), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.
