Cricket
Liam Dawson takes 4-20 in his first England international for three years to help England to a 21-run win over West Indies in Friday’s series-opener; watch second T20I live on Sky Sports Cricket from 2pm on Sunday (first ball, 2.30pm)
Cricket Expert & Columnist
Saturday 7 June 2025 08:14, UK
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Nasser Hussain urged England to pick left-arm spinner Liam Dawson in their 2026 T20 World Cup team early next year, after he delivered a “masterclass” in the series-opening win over West Indies on Friday.
Dawson, playing in just his 12th T20I – his first game for England in three years, and first at home in eight – was awarded player of the match honours for his sensational figures of 4-20 in the 21-run win in Durham.
Despite the 35-year-old’s sporadic England career previously, Hussain urged selectors to stick with him for the T20 World Cup, to be held in India and Sri Lanka in February.
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“There has been a lot of people asking for him to come back into the side for a number of years,” Hussain said. “He’s done it for Hampshire, for franchises around the world.
“He thinks like a batter, because he is one. He goes quick, quick with his variations and then lobs one up right on a length. He has that sense of when a batter is coming at him.
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“I thought it was a masterclass of left-arm spin bowling. It’s great to have him back in the side.
“And with the [2026] T20 World Cup coming up in India and Sri Lanka, he’s got to play.”
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With his fourth win in four secured as England’s new white-ball captain, Harry Brook admitted he was already making decisions with one eye on next year’s World Cup – with only 14 more T20 games scheduled before then.
“We don’t want to look too far ahead but we’ve got to trial some things like this,” Brook said of the move to play only two front-line seamers for the first time in home conditions.
“The next World Cup is going to be in Sri Lanka and India. We’re not completely set on this structure for the team but it’s worth a go and it worked this time.
“I just think that having two very good spinners – front-line spinners – makes a massive difference.
“As a batter, when you’re facing two experienced spin bowlers, you have to decide which end you’re going to attack.
“These two [Dawson and Adil Rashid] have been playing the game for so long, they know T20 cricket, they know the grounds and they’ve played against so many of these boys, that having them both in the side will help us going forward.”
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Brook added on Dawson: “He bowled beautifully. He’s got so many skills.
“He’s been playing the game for pushing on 20 years and he’s learned a lot of things along the way.”
As well as the succesful reintroduction of Dawson into the team, another reason for England to be positive looking ahead to the T20 World Cup early next year is the form of former captain Jos Buttler.
Buttler led England to victory in the 2022 T20 World Cup, but resigned as skipper earlier this year after poor showings in their title defences in both the 50-over and T20 global tournaments in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Freed from the burden of captaincy, Buttler looked back to his best with a blistering 96 off 59 balls in Friday’s T20I.
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“Jos Buttler proved once again why he’s England’s greatest white-ball player,” former England team-mate Stuart Broad said. “It was a wonderful knock.
“It’s credit to his ability, but also how he thinks, his mindset. It was almost like he was one step ahead of the bowlers, giving himself room at the right times and scooping at the right times.
“The ground went quiet when he was given out [on 96]. He deserved a hundred today.”
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