Liam Dawson

"I am an allrounder but batting is my strongest suit," he said after bagging a pair in his first home Test against South Africa. Born in Swindon, Liam Dawson is a slow left-arm orthodox bowler and a right-handed batsman. Dawson represented the England Under-19 team in 2007 that took place in Malaysia. Immediately after the tournament, he was handed his List A and First-Class caps by Hampshire.

Dawson had a first-class century against his name at the age of 18 playing for Hampshire at Trent Bridge in September 2008 - the youngest to do so for the club. He racked up more than 1000 runs in the FC arena by 2010. Having proven his mettle with the bat, Dawson decided to go to Zimbabwe to improve his bowling. He shone in the very first game by picking 7/51, playing for the Mountaineers. He returned home as an improved cricketer. He picked 26 wickets in the 2012 County Championship at an average below 35.

He was one of Hampshire’s best players in 2015. In the Royal One-Day Cup competition, Dawson showcased his all-round prowess. He picked 15 wickets at an average of 22 and amassed 324 runs with the bat averaging 64. The Hampshire all-rounder was named in the England squad for the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 in India, but couldn’t make it to the playing XI.

He made his T20I debut in July 2016 against Sri Lanka and had an impressive outing finishing with figures reading 3/27. A couple of months later, he played his first ODI for England in a dead-rubber against Pakistan.

Dawson was drafted into the England Test side due to an injury to Zafar Ansari and he made his Test debut against India at Chennai in December 2016. Primarily picked for his bowling, he scored 66* in his maiden innings - the highest score by an England number eight making their debut.

In the home series against South Africa in 2017, Dawson was selected as the England's 'number one' spinner for the Lord's Test. He scalped two wickets apiece in either innings and failed to open his account with the bat. He took part in the following Test before being axed from the team. Dawson, known for his accuracy, continued to be part of the England set-up in the shorter format, injured his right side whilst bowling in the second match in away series against Sri Lanka in October 2018.

Following his injury in the island nation, Dawson was replaced by Joe Denly and was not selected in England’s preliminary 15-member squad. However, in a surprising move, Dawson - rated as the third-best one-day spinner in the country - found himself parachuted into the WC squad with just over a week to go for England’s tournament opener.

In the World Cup year, the all-rounder performed well in the Royal London One-Day Cup competition - taking 18 wickets and scoring 271 runs in nine matches - for Hampshire. After not getting a game in the 2019 World Cup that England would eventually win, Dawson remained on the fringes of England's limited-overs setup.

A true contemporary cricketer, Dawson's skill-set meant that he was in high-demand in franchise tournaments around the globe. He played tournaments in Bangladesh as early 2013 and represented multiple franchises in the BPL. He also played for multiple franchises in the PSL and was part of the London Spirit in The Hundred competition. In 2023, he was signed by the Melbourne Stars to play in the BBL.

Written by Abhinand Raghavendran