Rashid has been among the first names on England’s white-ball team sheet for almost ten years, and he needs 26 more dismissals to become their all-time top one-day wicket-taker. Despite being fit and available, Rashid has been left out of England’s last two tri-series losses to Sri Lanka and Pakistan after missing the series victory over Sri Lanka in September due to an injury.
After Rashid was sidelined for September’s three-match ODI series victory over Sri Lanka due to a hand injury, Dawson, 36, who has played in 13 ODIs, was added to the team for England’s matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. For tactical considerations, England chose Dawson despite Rashid’s fitness and availability for the October 22, 2026, encounter in Rawalpindi. In his final tournament appearance before being excluded, Rashid took 1 for 55 from eight overs in England’s 87-run loss to Pakistan on October 20, 2026.
Dawson has shown promise in the leg-spinner’s absence, but England’s inexperienced bowling squad has been exposed as they allowed easy victories against Pakistan and Sri Lanka to elude them. Although Dawson thinks the double World Cup winner is still a fantastic operator, former England captain Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports last week that Rashid’s recent performances had “fallen off.”
On October 22, 2026, Dawson had the narrowest return of any England bowler against Sri Lanka, taking 1 for 71 from 10 overs. The tactical justification was that Dawson’s slow, skiddy left-arm bowling was more appropriate for Rawalpindi and Lahore, where pitched-up deliveries were struck, while left-arm spinners bowling into the surface were successful.
While England’s bid to reach the tri-series final hung in the balance, Dawson established himself as a mainstay in the T20 side and increasingly involved in the ODI set-up under Harry Brook. Being a fringe England player for much of his career, the 36-year-old has experienced an unexpected resurgence over the past 12 months, with the World Cup in southern Africa just 12 months away. Dawson retired from first-class cricket earlier in the year, signalling his focus on white-ball cricket at international level.
