England Announces Playing XI, Dawson Returns After Eight Years

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has revealed its lineup for the fourth Test against India, scheduled to commence on Tuesday at Old Trafford.

The most notable change sees left-arm spin all-rounder Liam Dawson returning to the Test squad after an absence of eight years. He replaces Shoaib Bashir, who is unavailable due to a finger fracture.

Dawson’s Test debut was also against India in December 2016. His other two Test appearances were against South Africa in July of the following year.

After a brief three-match period, the 35-year-old found himself out of favor in England’s Test plans. His recall for the India match is a result of his strong performance in the County Championship, where he has claimed 21 wickets in nine matches for Hampshire.

Apart from Dawson’s inclusion, the remainder of the England team remains unchanged from the one that secured a tight 22-run victory over India in the third Test, giving them a 2-1 advantage in the series.

India, chasing 193, were dismissed for just 170, despite a resilient half-century from Ravindra Jadeja.

India resumed their innings at 58/4 with KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant at the crease. Archer quickly dismissed Pant, and Stokes removed Rahul for 39.

Archer then dismissed Sundar for a duck. Jadeja and Reddy managed to add 30 runs before Reddy was out for 13. Bumrah supported Jadeja with a 35-run partnership before falling to Stokes.

Siraj’s dismissal brought the innings to a close at 170. Jadeja remained unbeaten with 61 runs off 181 deliveries.

England playing XI for fourth Test: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.