England Recall Liam Dawson for Fourth Test After Bashir Injury

England have turned to a familiar face for the decisive  fourth Test match against India:,spin bowling allrounder Liam Dawson. The 35 year old returns to the national Test squad, eight years since his last appearance, as a direct response to an untimely injury in the squad and a reward for consistent domestic performances.

The immediate reason for Dawson’s selection is the injury to offspinner Shoaib Bashir, who fractured a finger on his left hand during the third Test at Lord’s and is now ruled out for the rest of the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy. 

Bashir’s absence is a setback for England, especially as he played a decisive part in their recent victory, securing the last wicket to seal a 22 run win and give the home side a 2-1 lead in the five match series.

Dawson’s Recent Form

Dawson's recall is not just about filling a gap. His stats over the past two years in English domestic cricket have been hard to ignore.

In the most recent County Championship, he played every game for Hampshire, taking 21 wickets in nine matches. In the white ball Vitality Blast tournament, he picked up 11 wickets in ten games.

His consistency has earned him the Professional Cricketers’ Association Player of the Year awards for both 2023 and 2024. 

National selector Luke Wright made England's position clear, “Liam Dawson deserves his call up. He has been in outstanding form in the County Championship and consistently puts in strong performances for Hampshire,” Wright said in an official England and Wales Cricket Board statement.

For Dawson, this moment marks a full circle journey. Having played three Test matches since his debut in 2016, he last featured in a Test in July 2017.

He has, however, remained relevant in England’s limited overs squads. Just last month, he played T20 cricket for England against the West Indies, finishing as the joint-highest wicket-taker in that series.

Dawson himself had moved on from the idea of playing Test cricket. In an interview last year,he stated Test cricket was “completely off the radar” for him. Yet, his performances made it impossible for selectors to ignore him any longer.

Dawson’s experience across formats and his work for Hampshire offer stability and options for England as they try to maintain their lead in the series. He brings not just bowling, but also depth and reliability in the batting order, and a proven track record for stepping up under pressure.

As Paul Newman said, “Dawson will give England a better chance not only of beating India but also winning the Ashes.”

England’s Squad for the Fourth Test

Ben Stokes (c), 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.