Liam Dawson Back In England Team After Eight-Year Absence For Fourth Test Vs India

England’s Liam Dawson has been named in the team to play India in the fourth test of the series at Old Trafford, England’s cricket board (ECB) announced on Monday, marking the spinner’s first test appearance in eight years.

The 35-year-old Hampshire left-armer, who replaces the injured Shoaib Bashir, is the only change to the team for the fourth test which begins on Wednesday. Dawson has not played a test match since earning his third test cap in July 2017.

Dawson, an unused member of the 2019 World Cup winning squad, did feature in the Twenty20 series against West Indies in June.

Bashir suffered a fracture to his finger during the third test at Lord’s, which England won by 22 runs to take a 2-1 lead, leaving them one victory away from clinching their first five-match series win since 2018.

England team:

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.