24-07-2025
'England Stronger With This Type Of Cricketer': Vaughan Hails All-Round Dawson
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Michael Vaughan has praised Liam Dawson's inclusion in the England Test team, highlighting the balance he adds.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan asserts that the addition of experienced left-arm spinner Liam Dawson, who is an 'all-round package," has brought balance to the English Test team in the current series against India.
Brought into the playing XI after an eight-year hiatus due to Shoaib Bashir's injury, the 35-year-old immediately made a difference.
He dismissed the in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal with just his seventh delivery, catching him at first slip on the opening day of the fourth Test against India on Wednesday.
'He is the kind of cricketer that, as a captain, you say 'give me control, a few runs, and you field nicely'," Vaughan said on the 'Test Match Special' podcast.
'It is the all-round package, and for this England side, especially looking ahead to Australia, they are stronger with this type of cricketer in the team."
Dawson last played in a Test match in 2017 against South Africa and has had a sporadic international career, featuring in three Tests, six ODIs, and 14 T20Is, taking seven wickets in the longest format.
Bashir has been England's leading spinner since last year, and he is typically the last person to bat for England, with a top Test score of 13. Dawson, however, has 18 first-class hundreds to his name.
'On the pitches we are seeing in the UK and potentially Australia, I want to see a batting line-up that is absolutely packed," Vaughan remarked.
'Bashir's over-spin is very dangerous, but what you need in this England team on the current pitches is control.
'I don't think he (Dawson) will get six or seven-fors, but he will get two or three. If the pitch breaks up, he might even get a four or five-for."
Who Is Liam Dawson?
Liam Dawson (born 1 March 1990) is an English all-rounder representing Hampshire and England, batting right-handed and bowling slow-arm orthodox. Spotted in Wiltshire youth cricket, he debuted for Hampshire and England Under-19s in 2007.
County stalwart, he has surpassed 1,000 Championship runs, taken over 50 wickets in a season, twice achieved a century-and-ten-wickets match, and topped the PCA MVP and Championship Player awards in 2023 and 2024. Internationally, Dawson debuted in all three formats in 2016, toured multiple World Cups, and was part of England's 2019 title-winning squad. He renewed his Hampshire contract through 2027 and remains a key senior figure.
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First Published:
July 24, 2025, 12:41 IST
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