England v India: Liam Dawson to play first Test in eight years

Spinner Liam Dawson volition play his archetypal Test successful 8 years aft being named successful the England squad to look India astatine Old Trafford connected Wednesday.

Left-armer Dawson, 35, returns arsenic the replacement for off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who suffered a breached digit successful the thrilling third-Test triumph astatine Lord's.

Pace bowler Chris Woakes keeps his place, holding disconnected the situation of Gus Atkinson.

England are 2-1 up and volition triumph the bid if they instrumentality the 4th Test successful Manchester. They person not won a five-Test bid since 2018.

Hampshire's Dawson volition triumph his 4th Test cap, his 3rd coming against South Africa successful July 2017.

England person played 102 Tests since Dawson past appeared. Only six different players successful past person gone much Tests betwixt caps.

While Dawson volition supply reliable dilatory left-arm, helium besides boosts England's lower-order batting. He owns 18 first-class hundreds and his mean of 35.29 outstrips opener Zak Crawley.

Part of the squad that won the 2019 World Cup, his planetary vocation appeared to beryllium over. After fleeting appearances successful white-ball cricket successful 2022, helium went much than 3 years without different call-up.

At the opening of this summer, helium said helium was "realistic" astir his England prospects, lone to person a callback for the T20 bid against West Indies successful May.

He present gets his accidental successful the Test side, leap-frogging chap left-armer Jack Leach, who was portion of England's squads during the wintertime and has a cardinal contract.

"He brings acquisition and guile," batter Harry Brook told BBC Sport. "He's precise skilful.

"He's been astir the block, played hundreds of games and he's a large bloke. He's precise competitory and he's a precise bully player.

"He was precise tense earlier his T20 comeback and I'm definite he'll beryllium tense this week. I'm definite he'll fto his acquisition and skills instrumentality over."

Woakes has struggled to marque an interaction successful the archetypal 3 Tests, though did person his astir palmy lucifer astatine Lord's, taking 4 wickets.

He gets the motion implicit Atkinson partially due to the fact that of his grounds connected this ground. The 36-year-old averages astir 37 with the bat and 17 with the shot successful Manchester.

Atkinson was enactment done a fittingness trial astatine Old Trafford connected Monday. He has not played professionally since injuring his hamstring successful the one-off Test against Zimbabwe successful May.

He was deemed acceptable capable to marque a Test comeback if required, but fixed the different options successful the squad and the information Atkinson has played lone 1 time of nine cricket successful 2 months, determination was nary request for England to instrumentality a risk.

Atkinson present looks acceptable to instrumentality to Surrey. Despite the archetypal XI having a County Championship fixture distant astatine Yorkshire, opening connected Tuesday, Atkinson volition alternatively play for the 2nd XI against Somerset connected the aforesaid day.

Any slim accidental that chap gait bowler Mark Wood could instrumentality for the 5th Test pursuing genu country is present over. Wood is alternatively targeting the white-ball matches against South Africa astatine the extremity of the summer.

India volition marque astatine slightest 1 alteration to the broadside beaten astatine Lord's, aft all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled retired of the remainder of the bid with a genu injury.

Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant batted successful the nets connected Monday and looks to person recovered from the digit wounded that hampered him successful the 3rd Test.

There is yet nary determination connected Jasprit Bumrah. The prima gait bowler was acceptable to play lone 3 of the 5 Tests and has truthful acold featured successful two.

Following a week of remainder betwixt the 3rd and 4th Tests, the tourists indispensable surely beryllium tempted to unleash Bumrah successful bid to support the bid alive.

India person ne'er not won immoderate of the 9 Tests they person played successful Manchester, dating backmost to 1936.

England person mislaid lone 2 of the 20 Tests they person played connected this crushed this century.