July 22, 2025: One change has been made to England's starting lineup for the fourth Test against India on Wednesday at Old Trafford. Liam Dawson, an all-rounder for Hampshire, will play in place of Shoaib Bashir, who has been sidelined since July 2017. Dawson, a seasoned domestic performer, offers depth with both bat and ball on what is expected to be a spin-friendly surface in Manchester.
Dawson takes the place of Shoaib Bashir, who was injured in the first innings of the Lord's Test last week and broke his finger on his left hand. However, Bashir persevered and took the final wicket to give England a 2-1 series lead. Bashir has since undergone surgery, with a wire inserted into his left pinkie to ensure proper healing. Dawson will receive his fourth Test cap in Bashir's absence; his most recent appearance was in July 2017 against South Africa. Dawson has taken 371 first-class wickets as a left-arm spinner. He has been particularly good in recent years, with 12 of his 15 five-wicket hauls, including three matches with ten wickets, occurring after 2021. He won the prestigious men's PCA Player of the Year award last year after scoring 956 runs at an average of 59.75 and taking 124 wickets for Hampshire at an average of 25.64 since the start of the 2023 season. This summer, Dawson's performance includes 21 wickets at an average of 40.04, with an economy rate of 2.55, along with 536 runs at 44.66. Over the past five seasons, he has scored nine first-class centuries, including three in 2023 and three in 2024.
After appearing to have finished his international career, his recent recall to the England squad is a surprising turnaround. Earlier this summer, he returned to the T20I side after a three-year hiatus, delivering a notable performance of 4 for 20 against the West Indies in his comeback match, captained by England's newly appointed limited-overs captain, Harry Brook.
"He's a wily, old fox," Brook said at Emirates Old Trafford on Monday. "He's very experienced and a very skilful cricketer. He has played against everyone and played everywhere, so let's hope he puts on an amazing performance this week. "As we've seen throughout the Test series, the footholes are outside off for left-handed batters, so let's hope he can land it there to add some spice and give himself some chances to take wickets. "He's willing to always fight for the team, he's very competitive and it's good to have him here."
England playing XI for fourth Test vs India: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.
Called up as injury cover, Kamboj has had a whirlwind few days, joining the team on Saturday, meeting Manchester United players on Sunday, and bowling full tilt in Monday’s net session.
With his accuracy and relentless line and length against top-order batters like KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, he impressed Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar, the coaching staff. Fitness issues have plagued India's pace attack, with Arshdeep Singh out with a hand injury and Akash Deep still recovering from a groin strain. This leaves Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Prasidh Krishna, and Kamboj as the available seam options. Kamboj could make his debut given Prasidh's limited involvement with the new ball during practice. Rishabh Pant, on the other hand, has resumed wicketkeeping duties during practice, appearing to be in good spirits despite some discomfort in his left hand. His return behind the stumps is a major boost for India. However, Akash Deep’s fitness test did not go as hoped, making his participation in the Test unlikely.