Dawson to ask Warne for spin tips

Liam Dawson is to pursue the advice of Shane Warne as he looks to build a Test career as England’s No1 spin bowler.

Dawson played briefly with Warne at Hampshire as a young cricketer and is hoping to speak to the Australian great during the South Africa series to gain an insight into the psychological side of playing top-level cricket.

“I played a couple of games with him for Hampshire and will try and catch up with him over the course of this series and have a chat with him about bowling,” said Dawson.

“That would be a brilliant thing to do. Someone who is that good, been that successful and a legend of the game, you can only pick their brains. You might pick up something that might give you a little edge when you are out there and that can only be a positive.”

Dawson admitted to nerves in the first innings of the Lord’s Test when he was expensive and failed to do the job Joe Root had asked, namely holding an end so Moeen Ali could attack. But he bowled better in the second innings when he was accurate and seemed more in control of his game.

England train at Trent Bridge today for the first time since the Lord’s Test and are almost certain to pick an unchanged side, giving Dawson a third cap. “People probably watch me and think ‘you know he is not the best cricketer’ but I have got to use my cricket brain. That has always helped me for Hampshire,” said Dawson.

“That is another thing I pride myself on, being smart and clever. I think I am always trying to get into a battle and enjoy it. It is nice when that happens. Test cricket is suited to that. It is hard.

“I usually deal with nerves pretty well but, for the first three days, I was a little nervous. I think that is natural but I think it did have an impact on the way I bowled in the first innings. That disappointed me a little because I was nowhere near my best but I like to think I bowled well second innings and if selected for the next Test hopefully I can continue that.”