The left-arm spinner has replaced Shoaib Bashir in the fourth Test at Old Traffor
England came close to defeat in all three Tests of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy and twice managed to escape it. In five out of six innings, they have let India post 350-plus totals, while they themselves have posted more than that mark four times.
Even though they are trailing in the series, Indian batters have scored 211 runs more than the hosts. Among these 2,406 runs by the opposition, off-spinner Shoaib Bashir has conceded 30.79%. That is counting all the 10 bowlers skipper Ben Stokes has used.
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To say that the 21-year-old offie had a miserable series would be apt, because his 10 wickets from three matches have cost England 741 runs and then he got an injured finger to make his exit from the series.
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His only bright moment was the wicket of Mohammed Siraj in the fourth innings at Lord’s. Siraj would’ve never dreamed that a flat-faced bunt with a cricket bat would lead to his dismissal. But Bashir had put so many revs on it, the ball somehow had spun back around Siraj’s legs and dislodged the bails.
Given that there are two more Tests left in the series, India can live with that moment of agony over dealing with Bashir’s absence.
Including Liam Dawson as Bashir’s replacement in the playing XI for fourth Test and possibly the final Test at The Oval is a litmus Test for India as well as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the latter might be smiling now.
As the Ashes looms closer and the desperation to succeed in Australia peaks, the ECB have increased their efforts to strengthen England’s domestic pool of players in the lead-up.
Since their 2-2 draw of the 2023 Ashes at home and the Aussies retaining it, county sides have been asked to prepare hybrid pitches in the County Championship for the 2024 and 2025 seasons while Australian-made Kookaburra ball was used for four rounds in both seasons.
The result was uproar and satisfaction in equal measure among coaches and bowlers. The Kookaburra’s effectiveness waned faster in the damp conditions of the UK weather, batters went on a scoring spree and results got harder to come by in the domestic competition. The task of getting wickets has become more difficult, particularly for spinners as fast bowlers with enough skill were able to extract reverse swing from the old Kookaburra.
Last season, there were only five spinners in the top-20 wicket-takers in the County Championship who claimed 30 wickets or so. Dawson finished with 54 scalps, the third highest of the season, at an average of 25, which included five fifers and three four-wicket hauls.
In the ongoing County Championship 2025, Dawson is still in the top-20. Despite playing seven of the nine rounds and is the only third spinner in the entire competition to have claimed more than 20 wickets. Take the Kookburra into account and his average of 40 from the 12 innings would be much better with the traditional Dukes ball.
While Bashir is no doubt talented he doesn’t possess the experience of Dawson who has over 200 First-Class matches under his belt. Above that, Dawson will strengthen the Poms’ lower-order as he is familiar with playing long innings. The 35-year-old has scored 10,731 First-Class runs, including 18 hundreds and 56 fifties, which further increases England’s batting depth till No.8.
India already have two major worries due to the exit of Nitish Kumar Reddy and the uncertainty surrounding pacer Akash Deep. Now battling an experienced spinner like Dawson could add to their woes.
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