Dawson Claims He's a Better Bowler After Test Recall, Cites Experience and Consistency

Dawson Reflects on Test Comeback: "A Better Bowler Now"

Liam Dawson marked his return to Test cricket after a hiatus of 2929 days, making an immediate impact by claiming a wicket within his first seven balls. The England bowler, now 35, replaced the injured Shoaib Bashir in the squad for the ongoing Test at Old Trafford.

Liam Dawson celebrates taking Jaiswal's wicket. © Getty

Dawson, playing his first Test since 2016, showcased his experience and skill by dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal with a delivery that drifted away and found the edge. He finished the day with figures of 1 for 45 from 15 overs.

Acknowledging the nerves that accompanied his "second debut," Dawson stated, "Yeah, of course I was nervous. Obviously not [having] played for a number of years... but obviously nerves are a good thing and I think the older you get, the more you play, you sort of learn how to sort of manage those nerves."

The Hampshire bowler believes he has significantly improved since his debut in Chennai. His county record speaks for itself, with 215 first-class wickets in 85 games at an average of 27.72, including 12 five-wicket hauls. He even took 10 wickets and scored a century in a match at Old Trafford last year against Lancashire, a feat he had surprisingly forgotten.

"You know what, I had completely forgotten about that [Lancashire game]," Dawson admitted. "Obviously it's completely different you know the domestic cricket to this...But yeah, I knew what to expect sort of coming into it sort of for a second time so that I think that always sort of helps to understand what it's going to be like but yeah, you know Test cricket's hard, you know you're going to have good days, you're going to have bad days but I think the biggest thing for me, I sort of understood what to expect whereas obviously before I didn't really."

When questioned about his evolution as a bowler, Dawson highlighted his increased consistency and improved understanding of pitches and game scenarios. "Probably [I'm] a little bit more consistent, understanding pitches a little bit better, sort of what players are looking to do sometimes and yeah I think the older you get you sort of learn how to manage sort of game scenarios."

He concluded, "But yeah I've bowled a lot of overs the last few years and obviously when you bowl you sort of improve so yeah you're still gonna have tough days but I do feel I'm a little bit, I'm a better bowler now than I was a few years ago."

Despite the successful comeback, Dawson remained grounded, emphasizing the importance of the upcoming days. "It's one wicket you know, I've done nothing you know special there, it's one wicket but yeah, it's obviously another big day tomorrow."

"Yeah it's nice to obviously contribute to the team early on, I've said to a few people that you know they age them out, I probably thought Test cricket was gone but obviously to be back involved is really cool and I've got to try and enjoy each day that I get. I mean Test cricket is completely different to domestic cricket so yeah, to get that wicket was a nice relief sort of coming back into it but yeah, it's obviously a big day tomorrow and hopefully get a couple more."