We once had a saying during the selection process: Choose based on character. And I believe Liam Dawson possesses a great deal of character.
He might have felt anxious yesterday since you tend to perform better when you’re not part of the team. Joining the squad in the middle of a series can be challenging, particularly after being away for eight years and with many people urging your comeback.
No matter how much he claims he’s just viewing everything as a bonus at his age, it’s still about playing for England in an iconic series that the nation is discussing, and that has already begun. So when you’re suddenly called in, you’ll feel the pressure and must deliver. And he certainly did that yesterday.
Dawson stands in stark contrast to the player he has taken over from, Shoaib Bashir. He is an experienced left-arm spinner who has achieved 15 five-wicket performances in first-class cricket and thoroughly understands his craft. He is a complete player.
Bashir, on the other hand, is a young right-arm off-spinner who was discovered from a social media post due to his high release point.
What Dawson contributes to this England squad is composure, something Bashir is still striving to attain and find.
On the first day at Old Trafford, when the ball isn’t moving much, it’s important to provide your team and captain with the ability to maintain control so they can rotate the bowlers on the opposite end. Dawson executed this perfectly. India’s scoring rate slowed down in the second session due to his control.
Bashir achieves more spin, dip, and bounce due to his greater height and high release point. Consider Bashir’s wicket that secured the Test victory at Lord’s; the ball spun back and rolled onto Mohammed Siraj’s stumps because it bounced up toward him.
Dawson, due to his lower bowling action, might find it challenging to achieve that. However, he is more precise and targets the right-handed batter’s pad, as well as the outer edge of the left-handed batter, especially when the ball is swinging and moving. We witnessed this during his dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Since Dawson keeps landing the ball in the rough, Jaiswal wasn’t sure whether it would turn or not, and his usual movement and drift caused him to play the outside edge, which flew to Harry Brook at first slip. It was also excellent leadership from Ben Stokes. Jaiswal is a skilled spinner, as Tom Hartley discovered in India. However, Stokes positioned a deep point, which might have prompted Jaiswal to push at the ball and open the face, attempting to score a run toward the boundary.
Another advantage Dawson holds over Bashir, as well as another left-arm spinner named Jack Leach, is that he is a versatile cricket player.
He excels in his position and is a strong No8. With Dawson batting at eight, Chris Woakes at nine, Brydon Carse at 10, and Jofra Archer at 11, the lower order has become very effective, which will be crucial not only for the remainder of this series but also during the upcoming tour in Australia.
My previous England coach, Duncan Fletcher, always aimed for well-rounded cricketers in his squad. We had to move past Phil Tufnell, who was an exceptional left-arm spinner and I thoroughly enjoyed leading, because he didn’t bat or field effectively, so we selected Ashley Giles, who excelled in the gully and provided valuable runs.
If Dawson delivers two outstanding performances against India, the discussion will focus on whether he should be named England’s No1 spinner for the match against Australia.
But that’s something for another time. He had one good day and took one wicket – but he fulfilled his role, and that’s all you can expect from any player you bring into your team.
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