England Ashes hero reveals how Liam Dawson can make a case for facing Australia this winter after eight years in the Test wilderness

Liam Dawson can make life difficult for England’s selectors in the next fortnight because he offers more to the side than spin bowling, according to former Test star Ashley Giles.

Dawson, who makes his Test return in Manchester on Wednesday after eight years away, has replaced the injured Shoaib Bashir – with the prize of an Ashes tour on the horizon if he performs well at Old Trafford and The Oval.

Despite averaging 54 with the ball against India before breaking a finger at Lord’s, Bashir remains one of the management’s long-term projects. But English spinners have traditionally struggled in Australia, placing a greater onus on their contribution in other areas.

And while Dawson has a first-class batting average of 35, with 18 hundreds, Bashir – who, at 21, is 14 years his junior – averages eight, with a best of 44 not out.

‘For me, Dawson was the obvious choice to come in,’ Giles told Mail Sport. ‘If you take two spinners away in the winter, he’s got to be an option. He offers a different sort of package. They’ve been really consistent with Bash, which is great to see. But Daws offers much more of a rounded, experienced package.

‘It’s a great shop window for him. At times, Daws would have been thinking: “I’m miles away from from playing.” But suddenly he’s in. He has an opportunity, and if he takes it then I think it makes decisions much more difficult for Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, because there’s no doubt when you go to Australia that we’re going to need every run we can muster.’

During a 54-Test career that ended in 2006 and produced 143 wickets, Giles was very much in the Dawson mould: a tidy left-arm spinner who batted at No 8 and threw himself about in the field. 

His all-round qualities made him a favourite of England coach Duncan Fletcher, who knew that unhelpful Australian pitches often left finger-spinners with little to do except bowl economically and allow the quicks to rotate.

‘With the balance of the attack needing to have a lot of pace, you’re going to need someone who can also give some control and hold an end for you,’ said Giles.

‘It’s been tough for Bash at times: if you’re not playing a major role, questions are going to be asked, and how you deal with that scrutiny and that attention is always key, as I know personally. But so far he’s handled himself very well.’

Giles, who is now chief executive at Worcestershire and has an autobiography – The King of Spain and I – published next week by Fairfield Books, believes times are tougher now for young English spinners than they were during his own career.

‘I bowled a lot of overs in the height of summer as a young spinner,’ he said. ‘Now, with the way the structure’s laid out, with the primacy of some of the short-form tournaments, spinners just don’t get as much time to learn the trade. That curve is very steep, and can be very painful.’