Manchester, July 21 (IANS) Liam Dawson is set to make a remarkable return to Test cricket after eight years as England named him in the playing XI for the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series against India at Old Trafford, starting on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old replaces off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who suffered a fractured finger during the Lord’s Test. Despite the injury, Bashir bowled through pain to take the final wicket and help England clinch a 2-1 lead in the series.

Bashir has since undergone surgery, with a wire inserted in his left pinkie to aid recovery. In his absence, Dawson — who last played a Test in July 2017 against South Africa — steps in to add spin variety with his left-arm orthodox bowling and batting depth at No. 8.

The call-up is a full-circle moment for Dawson, who appeared to be out of the national setup until earlier this summer, when he was recalled to the T20I side after three years. He made an immediate impact with figures of 4 for 20 against the West Indies in a match captained by Harry Brook.

“He’s a wily, old fox,” Brook said at Old Trafford. “He’s very experienced and a very skilful cricketer. He’s played everywhere, played against everyone, so hopefully he can have an amazing performance this week.

“As 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 a bit of spice and some opportunities to take wickets.”

Brook also praised Dawson’s mindset: “He’s willing to always fight for the team, he’s very competitive, and it’s good to have him here.”

Dawson’s domestic form has been outstanding. Since 2021, he has taken 12 of his 15 career five-wicket hauls and scored nine centuries. His 2024 campaign was capped with the PCA Men’s Player of the Year award, a testament to his all-round prowess.

England have kept the rest of their side unchanged, with Jamie Smith continuing as wicketkeeper. The hosts will look to seal the series with a win in Manchester.

England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jamie Smith (wk), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.

–IANS

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