England have called up Liam Dawson to replace Shoaib Bashir in their squad for the fourth Test against India.
Bashir has been ruled out of the rest of the series after suffering a broken finger on his left hand when attempting a catch off his own bowling in the dramatic third Test win at Lord’s.
The 21-year-old spinner was largely on the sidelines for the rest of the match, but returned to bowl on the fifth day and took the final wicket to secure a 22-run victory, giving England a 2-1 lead in the series.
With Bashir unavailable, England have turned to the experienced Dawson for the upcoming Test at Old Trafford, which starts on July 23.
The 35-year-old made his Test debut in India in 2016, with the last of his three caps coming eight years ago.
Luke Wright, England Men's National Selector, said: "Liam Dawson deserves his call-up. He has been in outstanding form in the County Championship and consistently puts in strong performances for Hampshire."
Jack Leach was among the options England could have turned to, but Dawson will also provide added strength to the batting line-up. The all-rounder has a first-class average of more than 35.
Dawson now has the chance to impress in the remainder of the series and push his case to be included in the squad for the Ashes in Australia later this year.
However, while Bashir’s place in the side has come under scrutiny, with the spinner taking ten wickets at an average of 54.10 in this series, England captain Ben Stokes has repeatedly backed him.
"He's 21 years old, he's got a very badly broken finger," Stokes said after the win at Lord’s.
"To even walk out there and bat. He didn't even ask, he got his pads on, and got his finger strapped up.
"Every time I looked down at the bench, I could see his face peering saying, 'Get me on'.
"To finish that game off was written in the stars."
Sam Cook and Jamie Overton have been released to play in the County Championship, but Jacob Bethell remains in the squad.
England squad to face India in fourth Test at Old Trafford:
Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.
