Liam Dawson makes his return to the Test arena after eight years as England announced their playing XI for the Manchester Test against India on Monday, July 21. Dawson was the only change made to the lineup as ,who was injured during the Lord’s Test win.
of the series was done. Dawson was brought into the side as his replacement. The 35-year-old makes his return having played his last Test match against South Africa at Nottingham in 2017. Incidentally he made his debut against India in Chennai during the 2016 tour.
So far, Lawson has played three Test matches and has picked up 7 wickets and scored 84 runs with a best score of 66 not out.
“England Men have made one change to their XI for the Rothesay Fourth Test against India at Emirates Old Trafford, starting on Wednesday, July 23. Hampshire spinner Liam Dawson replaces the injured Shoaib Bashir. This will be Dawson’s first Test appearance since July 2017,” read the statement from England cricket.
Over the years, Dawson has made himself a globetrotter, taking part in various T20 leagues. However, he brings in a wealth of experience in first-class cricket, as he has scored 10731 runs and picked up wickets 371 wickets in 212 matches.
Harry Brook commented on the return of Dawson and called him a ‘wily old fox’, whose experience will be vital for the hosts.
“Yeah, absolutely. He’s a wily old fox, very experienced, he’s a very skilful cricketer as well, and he’s played everywhere, played against everyone, so hopefully he can have an amazing performance this week,” said Brook during the press conference.
The presence of Dawson has now strengthened the batting order of England ahead of the Manchester Test. England are currently leading the series 2-1 and will be aiming to wrap up the series in Manchester.
England playing XI for Manchester Test
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer