Liam Dawson, the England spin bowling all-rounder, returned to Test cricket after eight years and got Yashasvi Jaiswal out in Manchester. He says he’s a better bowler now and was nervous before the game.
Dawson finished with 1/45 in 15 overs on day one of the fourth Test against India, Jaiswal caught at slips for 58. This was after years of playing for Hampshire where he consistently performed well in both bowling and batting.
Dawson told Sky Sports he thought his Test career was over. Being back is great and he wants to enjoy every day. He feels he’s a better bowler than he was years ago. He was nervous as he hadn’t played for a while. Knowing what to expect this time helped.
Dawson has been important for Hampshire, scoring 10,731 runs in 212 first-class matches at 35.29, 18 centuries and 56 fifties. He has also taken 371 wickets at 31.54. In the 2024/25 County Championship he scored 536 runs in nine matches at 44.36, one century and two fifties. He also took 21 wickets at 40.04, best figures of 5/158. He’s one of Hampshire’s top run-scorers and wicket-takers.
Despite his experience, Dawson’s only World Cup appearances were as a non-playing member of the 2019 ODI World Cup squad and a travelling reserve for the 2022 T20 World Cup. He played 15 limited-overs matches between his third and fourth Test appearances. Before this tour against West Indies, his last three white-ball matches were played which ended his three year absence from international cricket. Shoaib Bashir’s injury allowed him to return to Test cricket.
Dawson knows many of the current players and found his return to the team easy and relaxed. He said he knows many of the guys so coming in was fine, Test matches are different from domestic cricket. He was told to be himself and do what he does in red-ball cricket and do a job for the team.
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Dawson felt in control on the field and said he had spoken to captain Ben Stokes during practice. He said he spoke to Ben Stokes during practice and Stokes told him to be smart with his skills and he will try to do what he’s done in domestic cricket for the last few years. Dawson said he always needs someone to talk to but won’t change his game much and will keep it simple. It’s good to talk to Jeetan Patel, the spin bowling coach, and share ideas but technically he can’t change much at his age.
