Although Hampshire boast the likes of Shahid Afridi and Darren Sammy in their side for this year’s NatWest T20 Blast – as well as James Vince – there is one new international star in their ranks who could pose a threat to Glamorgan’s hopes of victory.
Liam Dawson, fresh from taking three wickets on T20 international debut at his home ground The Ageas Bowl against Sri Lanka last week, has proven a top class cricketer with bat, ball and in the field over the past few seasons.
Without Vince, who will be away on Test duty with England against Pakistan at Lord’s, the burden falls on Dawson to salvage some pride for a beleaguered Hampshire. The Southampton-based county currently sit bottom of the NatWest T20 Blast South Group with just one victory in this campaign so far.
At 26 and with 112 first-class matches, 117 List A appearances and 83 T20 games under his belt, Dawson is no longer a raw talent – he has batted up and down the order and been required to bowl at difficult times, with aggressive batsmen trying to smack him to all parts.
But with a T20 economy rate of 7.36 and best figures of 4/19, Dawson is an accomplished white-ball spin bowler with a clever change of pace in his arsenal.
With the bat, Dawson tends to come in down the order, often tasked with rebuilding an innings that has faltered, or powering a score upwards in the final dash for runs. While Sammy and Afridi have rarely fired during this T20 campaign, Dawson has excelled, smashing 46 against Somerset at Taunton and a quick-fire 26 versus Essex at Chelmsford. He has also take nine wickets in nine games.
Dawson is a former England Under-19 captain who has established a reputation as one of the most versatile cricketers in the country.
Glamorgan travel to Southampton to take on Hampshire at The Ageas Bowl from 7pm.