
ENG vs IND: Is Liam Dawson a smart pick for England for Manchester Test?
In terms of Test experience, Bashir has had a slightly greater taste of the longer format. However, when it comes to first-class cricket, Dawson's resume is far more substantial. With nearly two decades on the red-ball circuit, Dawson has faced top-tier batters in England's domestic competitions and in T20 leagues around the world, including the Pakistan Super League and The Hundred.Across 212 first-class matches, Dawson has taken 371 wickets, including 16 four-wicket hauls, 15 five-wicket hauls, and three 10-wicket match hauls. Given his extensive experience, he has the ability to deliver key breakthroughs whenever called upon - especially in Manchester, where England's pace attack is expected to bear most of the load.Dawson heads into the Manchester Test on the back of a solid County Championship season with Hampshire. In nine matches, the left-arm spinner claimed 21 wickets across 16 innings, including a five-wicket haul.He also featured in the T20 Blast, picking up 11 wickets in his first 10 games at an economy rate of 7.27 - impressive for the format. All told, Dawson enters the fourth Test with a decent amount of recent match practice under his belt.Dawson deepens England's battingWhile Dawson is undoubtedly skilled with the ball, his batting contributions shouldn't be overlooked. With 10,731 first-class runs at an average of 35.29, including 18 centuries and 56 half-centuries, Dawson is a significantly stronger batter than Bashir. His inclusion in the playing XI for the fourth Test would not only bolster England's spin options but also deepen their batting lineup.If Dawson replaces Bashir, England could field a side where every player is capable of contributing with the bat-eliminating any clear tail-end and presenting a major challenge for India's bowlers.Dawson's current form with the bat adds further weight to his case. In this season's County Championship, he has scored 536 runs in nine matches at an average of 44.66, including a century and two fifties-highlighting his all-round value ahead of the Manchester Test.After their crushing 336-run defeat at Edgbaston, Ben Stokes' England side found themselves under considerable pressure. They nearly let things slip again at Lord's, scraping through with a narrow 22-run win at the Home of Cricket. Now, heading into the Manchester Test, England have a golden opportunity to take control of the series and potentially seal its fate with another victory.- EndsYou May Also Like

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Business Standard
9 minutes ago
- Business Standard
ENG vs IND: Rishabh Pant ushered off the field due to injury in Manchester
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant had to be ushered off the field after he suffered a toe injury following a yorker from Chris Woakes during Day 1 of the 4th Test against England in Manchester. Pant took the blow and was visibly in pain after that. After receiving some treatment, the medic decided to call out the stretcher as he was then ushered off with a swelling and a small cut on his right leg. Ravindra Jadeja has replaced him on the pitch as fans would be hoping that the batter can return to bat later in the innings. Pant has been unfortunate with the injuries as it was a finger injury that had prevented him from keeping wickets in the Lord's Test against England recently. With Rishabh Pant looking for boundaries every now and then with his first six coming in the 61st over, Sudharshan's patient knock made the partnership tick in what was a cloudy atmosphere that forced the floodlights to be turned on in Manchester. The duo put up a 50-run stand after tea as Pant also became the first visiting wicketkeeper to score 1000 runs in England. Pant kept at it, targeting Dawson for some more boundaries on the day while Sudharshan patiently kept creeping up towards his fifty.
&w=3840&q=100)

First Post
9 minutes ago
- First Post
Shubman Gill faces flak for benching Karun Nair in Manchester Test: 'Chance missed to earn respect'
Karun Nair was benched by the Indian team in the fourth Test against England in Manchester, having failed to convert any of his starts throughout the series and collected 131 runs in three Tests at an average slightly above 20. Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif, however, felt he deserved another shot. read more India captain Shubman Gill has faced criticism for not giving Karun Nair a longer rope in the ongoing Test series in England. Reuters India captain Shubman Gill came under fire on the , not just for perishing early with the bat for the third consecutive time but also for failing to back senior teammate Karun Nair. Nair, after all, was benched in the fourth Test at Manchester after featuring in the first three Tests of the five-match series, with the team management opting to bring B Sai Sudharsan back into the XI. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Kaif comes to Nair's support after Vidarbha batter is benched at Old Trafford And former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif was among those who felt Nair should have been back for at least one more game before getting relegated to the bench at Old Trafford, where India find themselves in a must-win situation in their quest for a first series win on English soil in 18 years. 'Today was Shubman Gill's chance to back karun who was down but deserved one more chance. He should have picked Karun Nair. Chance missed to earn the respect when it comes to making tough decisions as a leader,' Kaif wrote on X on Wednesday. Today was Shubman Gill's chance to back karun who was down but deserved one more chance. He should have picked Karun Nair. Chance missed to earn the respect when it comes to making tough decisions as a leader. — Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) July 23, 2025 Both Sudharsan and Nair had played the series opener at Headingley, at No 3 and No 6 respectively. The visitors, however, opted to bring in an extra all-rounder in Washington Sundar in the lower middle-order in the second Test at Edgbaston, forcing them to choose Nair over Sudharsan and moving him to No 3 in the process. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Nair, however, had collected just 131 runs in three Tests at an average of 21.83 with a top-score of 40 – going past the 30-mark just twice in the series. The Vidarbha batter, who was rewarded for a red-hot run in domestic cricket, was retained in the XI for the third Test at Lord's despite failing to convert promising starts in the series. Skipper Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir, however, ran out of patience after Nair collected just 54 runs across two innings at the 'Home of Cricket'. Also returning to the Indian XI for the first time since the series opener in Leeds was all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who replaced the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy. Additionally, Anshul Kamboj made his international debut in Manchester on Wednesday after replacing Akash Deep, who has also been ruled out of the remainder of the Test series due to injury. Akash, who had starred in the victory in Birmingham, has a groin issue while Reddy has been ruled out due to a knee injury. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD


Indian Express
9 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Rishabh Pant goes off the field with injury, Ravindra Jadeja replaces him in IND vs ENG 4th Test
India wicket keeper Rishabh Pant suffered another injury as he had to be helped off the field during the opening day of the 4th India vs England Test in Manchester on Thursday. The incident happened in the 68th over when Pant tried to reverse sweep a Chris Woakes delivery and was hit flush on his ankle. The player immediately went down and the physios came on the field to check on him. His foot was swollen and the wicketkeeper-batter had to be taken off the field by a small vehicle as he couldn't even walk out on his own accord. Ravindra Jadeja replaced him for the time being in the middle. Pant was batting on 37 when he went off retired hurt. Earlier, there were more twists in England's thrilling series against India as three wickets in the afternoon session on Wednesday helped the hosts drag themselves back into contention on day one of fourth test, the tourists sitting on 149-3 at tea. Rishabh Pant is driven off the field of play after suffering some severe swelling on his right foot and Ravindra Jadeja walks out to the middle… 🩹 — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 23, 2025 India resumed on 78-0 after lunch with England desperately needing a breakthrough. Veteran Chris Woakes delivered the goods, finding KL Rahul's edge, the opener falling four short of his half century. Yashasvi Jaiswal passed his 12th fifty shortly after, the most half centuries by any batter since his debut in July 2023. However, he did not last much longer as England spinner Liam Dawson took a test wicket for the first time in eight years, Jaiswal edging through to Zak Crawley at second slip when on 58. The big wicket just before tea further swung the momentum back in England's favour as Shubman Gill, with three centuries already this series, was trapped leg before wicket by Stokes having scored just 12. The India skipper has registered only 34 runs in his last three innings. The Old Trafford crowd took great delight in Gill's departure, given his complaints over England's conduct in the last test at Lord's. Leading 2-1 in the five-test series, risk-taking England captain Ben Stokes had ignored historical precedent and put India in to bat first — no side winning the toss and bowling first has ever won a test at Old Trafford previously.