Dawson, 35, last played in a Test for England in July 2017 and has made a return to the side after Shoaib Bashir was ruled out of the remainder of the series after injuring his left hand while attempting to stop a ball off his own bowling in the third Test at Lord\u2019s, which England won by 22 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cYou feel for Shoaib Bashir, but that\u2019s the nature of the game: an injury opens the door for someone else. And Dawson has the chance to show what a competitor he is, not just with the ball, but with his all-round game.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIf he goes in at No 8, that could be the start of a seriously strong lower order, possibly with Gus Atkinson, who has scored a Test century, at No 9, and Brydon Carse, who batted so well at Lord\u2019s, at No 10,\u201d wrote Hussain in his column for Daily Mail on Wednesday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He also felt Dawson\u2019s selection is a huge indicator of England choosing to completely move on from left-arm spinner Jack Leach, who last played a Test match in 2024.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt\u2019s clear, too, that England have moved on from Jack Leach, who has a good relationship with Ben Stokes but lacks Dawson\u2019s all-round qualities.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAnd that could be important when England decide which spin bowlers to take to Australia this winter. You need steel to succeed out there, and Dawson has it in abundance,\u201d added Hussain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Dawson has been a consistent performer for Hampshire in recent years of the county championship, and was also named PCA Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024. Hussain further believes that Dawson\u2019s recall also means England might be finally moving on from making left-field calls.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAnd that could be important when England decide which spin bowlers to take to Australia this winter. You need steel to succeed out there, and Dawson has it in abundance,\u201d added Hussain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cEngland seem to be moving away from the really left-field selections, such as Josh Hull for last year\u2019s Oval Test against Sri Lanka, and saying to the county game: if you score runs and take wickets, you\u2019ve got a chance. Sam Cook got the nod for the Zimbabwe Test, now Dawson is in the mix again. It\u2019s a good pick, and a fillip for domestic cricketers around the country,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\r\n\r\n