England spin-bowling all-rounder Liam Dawson has admitted he nearly gave up hope of making a Test comeback. Dawson made his Test debut in the match where Karun Nair famously scored a triple century, but he was dropped after just three appearances, with his last Test before his recall being the 2017 match against South Africa at Nottingham.
Since then, Dawson had to endure an eight-year wait before fate intervened. Following an injury to Shoaib Bashir after the Lord’s Test, Dawson was recalled to the Test squad at the age of 35 for the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester.
Reflecting on his return, Dawson said he’s now focused on taking things “one day at a time” and simply enjoying the game.
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“Yeah, it’s nice to be able to contribute to the team early on. I’ve said to a few people that, at the age I’m at, I probably thought Test cricket was behind me—but to be back involved is really cool. I’m just trying to enjoy each day that I get,” Dawson said in the press conference after the day’s play.
‘I am a better bowler’
Dawson had a solid outing on Day 1 of the Manchester Test, finishing with figures of 15-1-45-1. The left-arm spinner claimed the key wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made a composed 58 off 107 balls. Reflecting on his performance, Dawson said his hard work on refining his bowling has paid off, adding that he now sees himself as not just a better bowler, but a more consistent one.
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“I think I’m a bit more consistent now. I understand pitches better and have a clearer sense of what players are trying to do. As you get older, you learn how to manage different game scenarios. I’ve bowled a lot of overs in the last few years, and with that, you naturally improve. You’re still going to have tough days, but I do feel like I’m a better bowler now than I was a few years ago,” Dawson added.
India ended Day 1 on a strong note, reaching 264 for 4, thanks to half-centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal and a composed 61 from Sai Sudharsan. For England, captain Ben Stokes led the bowling effort, returning impressive figures of 14-2-47-2.
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