ENG vs IND: England name replacement for injured spinner Shoaib Bashir

England have recalled left-arm spinner Liam Dawson to their Test squad for the upcoming fourth Test against India at Old Trafford, marking a potential return to red-ball cricket for the 35-year-old after nearly a decade.

 

Dawson’s selection comes in the wake of off-spinner Shoaib Bashir being ruled out of the remainder of the series due to a fractured finger. His injury has opened the door for Dawson, who hasn’t featured in a Test match since 2017. 

  Jack Leach overlooked by England

 

Despite having an England central contract, fellow left-arm spinner Jack Leach has been overlooked for selection. Leach, who lost his place as England’s leading spinner to Bashir last year, did feature in three Tests during the tour of Pakistan and was part of the squad that visited New Zealand over the winter.

 

Dawson's recall is being seen as a recognition of his consistent domestic performances. The Hampshire all-rounder has been in remarkable form over the past two county seasons, which earned him back-to-back Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) Player of the Year awards.

 

Though more recently seen as a white-ball specialist, Dawson was part of England’s victorious 2019 World Cup squad. However, he spent several years on the sidelines of international cricket before earning a comeback in the T20I series against the West Indies earlier this summer.

 

With the fourth Test against India looming, Dawson now has the opportunity to showcase his skills on the Test stage once again, offering England valuable experience and a different spin option in the absence of Bashir. 

England squad for Manchester 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