IND Vs ENG, 4th Test: England Recall Liam Dawson After Eight Years In The Cold Following Shoaib Bashir's Injury

England have called up Liam Dawson – who last played a red-ball international in 2017 – as a replacement for the injured Shoaib Bashir ahead of the fourth Test against India.

England are 2-1 up in the five-match series following a dramatic 22-run victory in the third Test at Lord's, with Bashir the hero of that match.

Having sustained an injury to the little finger on his left hand while bowling on day three, Bashir took the decisive wicket of Mohammed Siraj when the outcome was in the balance on day five.

Captain Ben Stokes subsequently confirmed, however, that Bashir had broken his finger and would miss the remainder of the series.

Ahead of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, which begins on July 23, England have handed a long-awaited recall to Dawson.

All three of Dawson's Test appearances came between December 2016 and July 2017, with the most recent being a 340-run defeat to South Africa at Trent Bridge.

Dawson finished that match with figures of 1-86, having posted 2-129 in a debut defeat to India in Chennai and captured 4-101 in his second match, a win over South Africa at Lord's.

Dawson has shone on the domestic front lately, being named the Professional Cricketers' Association's men's player of the year in both 2023 and 2024.

He was part of the England squad that won the 2019 World Cup but has not appeared in an ODI since 2022. The 35-year-old did return to the T20 setup last month, however, playing all three matches in a series whitewash against West Indies.

"Liam Dawson deserves his call-up. He has been in outstanding form in the County Championship and consistently puts in strong performances for Hampshire," said national selector Luke Wright in a statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Pacemen Jamie Overton and Sam Cook have both been released from the squad, with Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson keeping their places, the latter having recovered from a hamstring injury.

England's pace attack will again be headlined by Jofra Archer, who took five wickets in the third Test after four years out of the red-ball setup.

England squad: Ben Stokes, Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Jacob Bethell, Liam Dawson, Gus Atkinson, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse.