England have recalled Liam Dawson to play his first Test in eight years in the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford. The 35-year-old comes in place of injured Shoaib Bashir despite England trying to complete the series with the margin intact of 2-1.
Dawson last played a Test in July 2017 against South Africa, and he was recalled to the team after 8 years after Bashir fractured his finger during the last match at Lord's. The young Spinner claimed a match-winning wicket despite his injury. However, after the match, he underwent surgery with a wire inserted in his finger.
Increasingly expect to see Liam Dawson back in England colours this summer https://t.co/L3VSdoGTNx
— Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) May 6, 2025
Liam took 71 wickets across all formats last season while scoring 1,280 runs. Since 2021, he has claimed 12 of his 15 career five-wicket hauls. Last year Dawson admitted Test cricket was "completely off the radar" for him, yet his recent T20 recall against West Indies, where he took 4 for 20, opened the door for this unexpected opportunity.
National selector Luke Wright backed the decision to recall Dawson. "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. The selection seems backed by Dawson winning PCA Player of the Year awards in both 2023 and 2024.
Harry Brook was one of the first to welcome Dawson back to the team. "He's a wily old fox, very experienced and skillful. He's played everywhere, played against everyone," Brook said at the press conference. The England batter also highlighted tactical advantages Dawson might offer at Old Trafford. "We've seen over the Test series, the footholes have been for the left-handed batters outside off, so hopefully he can land it in the footholes and create some opportunities to take wickets."
The selection shows the tactical and strategic thinking of the England side. The Indian batters have started to adapt to England's bowling attack. However, throughout the last three Tests, India has shown vulnerability to quality spin. So Bashir's off-spin to Dawson's left-arm orthodox creates fresh challenges for Indian batters. Left-handers like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant, especially, could find Dawson's different angles troublesome.
England have retained the core that delivered victory at Lord's. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett continue their opening partnership, with Ollie Pope, Joe Root, and Harry Brook forming the middle order. Captain Ben Stokes and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith maintain their positions, while Dawson slots in at number eight to provide both bowling variety and enhanced batting depth. The pace attack of Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, and Jofra Archer offers different skills across varying match situations.
While England is seeking to secure their fifth five-match series triumph since 2018 for India, the numbers are not so good. They need to win both Tests to claim the trophy. They have given a good fight at Lords; however, new selection challenges have arisen due to many injuries. While Bumrah’s appearance has been confirmed by Mohammed Siraj, the Indian team still suffered many injuries, including allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who had been excluded from the whole series. Also, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep might not play the next match. However, skipper Shubman Gill commented that Rishabh Pant “should be fine” for the fourth match despite the injury to his left index finger, but there are doubts about the keeping duties.
The fourth test will start on 23rd July at Old Trafford. England hold the advantage but India have the quality to force a deciding fifth Test at The Oval, with Dawson's role potentially proving crucial in determining the final outcome.
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