England Names Liam Dawson as Shoaib Bashir’s Replacement for Manchester Test vs India
Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir ruled out of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy due to finger injury; Dawson returns to Test setup after seven years.
Kevin Varchand 
England 15 July: Ben Stokes led England may have taken a 2-1 lead in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy by edging past India with a 22-run win at Lord’s, but their troubles continue ahead of the fourth Test in Manchester.
Shoaib Bashir Suffers Injury, Ruled Out of Series
Promising off-spinner Shoaib Bashir has been ruled out of the remainder of the series after suffering a fracture to his left finger while bowling during India’s first innings. Despite the Injury, Bashir returned to bowl briefly and even claimed the final wicket of Mohammed Siraj to seal England’s thrilling win.
On Tuesday, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that Bashir will undergo surgery later this week and won’t play any further role in the five-match series.
The official Instagram post from England Cricket read, “Sadly, Bash has sustained a fracture to his left finger and has been ruled out of the remainder of the series against India. He is scheduled to undergo surgery later this week, and we wish him all the best. Go well, @Shoaib_Bashir13.”
Liam Dawson Recalled After Seven Years
In response to Bashir’s injury, Liam Dawson has been named as his replacement for the fourth Test, set to begin on July 23 at Old Trafford, Manchester. The 35-year-old all-rounder last played a Test match for England in 2017 and has featured in only three Tests in total.
However, Dawson’s consistent performances in County Cricket have kept him in the selectors’ radar. He was named the PCA Player of the Year for both 2023 and 2024.
Ben Stokes was Man of the Match in 3rd Test
England captain Ben Stokes was named the Player of the Match for his all-round effort in the Lord’s Test. He scalped three wickets in the second innings. He bowled close to 20 overs on the final day.
Stokes also returned with scores of 44 and 33 in the Lord’s Test. He also affected the game-changing run-out of Rishabh Pant right before the lunch break on Day 3.
England squad for the fourth Test: Ben Stokes ©, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Liam Dawson, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue and Chris Woakes.
