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Liam Dawson sees a lot of promise in Rehan Ahmed but cautioned against expecting too much, too soon from the teenage leg-spinner.<\/p>\n
England\u2019s dismal World Cup seems set to usher in a changing of the guard for the ODI side and Ahmed may have more of a role to play, even if Adil Rashid remains the country\u2019s premier white-ball spinner.<\/p>\n
Ahmed has impressed in seven appearances in national colours across all formats since last December and joins Rashid in being named in the ODI and T20 squads for next month\u2019s trip to face the West Indies.<\/p>\n
The 19-year-old links up with England after a lean domestic summer but Dawson is a huge admirer of his fellow spin bowling all-rounder and is certain he will flourish if England persevere with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cRehan\u2019s very young so you\u2019ve got to give him a bit of time \u2013 he\u2019s nowhere near the finished article,\u201d Dawson told the PA news agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cI played with him last winter and I think he\u2019s a very good bowler. You\u2019ve just got to be patient with him. Spin bowling isn\u2019t easy in England, you don\u2019t get conditions that suit very often.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dawson subscribes to the notion spinners get better as they grow older and he has the numbers to back it up after taking 49 wickets at 20 to go with 840 runs at 40 in this year\u2019s County Championship.<\/p>\n
His form for Hampshire \u2013 where he was an ever-present for the matches in which he was available \u2013 warrants an England recall with a five-match Test series against India to come, starting in January.<\/p>\n
Dawson has long since stopped worrying about his fringe status for England in all formats but the 33-year-old believes he is a superior player than when he earned the last of three Test caps in July 2017.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout a doubt,\u201d he said. \u201cI was only 27 then. I certainly think I\u2019m a better player now. I\u2019ve played a lot more cricket and in a lot more pressure situations. I understand that side of the game more.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn red-ball cricket my bowling has improved every single year. I\u2019d say that\u2019s a huge thing that has improved. It\u2019s going to be very hard to beat what I\u2019ve done this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s not much more I can do than what I\u2019ve done this year. I\u2019ll keep trying to work hard, keep trying to improve but I\u2019m very realistic that the season I\u2019ve just had doesn\u2019t come around too often.\u201d<\/p>\n
A difficult conundrum awaits Dawson if England do make overtures for him as he has already committed to a lucrative stint in South Africa\u2019s SA20, which overlaps with a couple of Tests of the India tour.<\/p>\n
The canny slow left-armer would be a valuable inclusion on the turning tracks of India but any England return would likely be brief and he does not have the safety net of a central contract to fall back on.<\/p>\n
Dawson is a regular in the high-paying T20 franchise leagues and, with England\u2019s blessing, he was among a group of players to miss a tour of Bangladesh to play in the Pakistan Super League earlier this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong, everyone\u2019s desperate to play for their country but it also gets to a point where financially, you have to take that into consideration,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a player, for someone in my situation who hasn\u2019t got a central contract \u2013 I certainly didn\u2019t expect one \u2013 I\u2019m not getting younger now, you have to make money.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so many competitions now you can play in. It\u2019s brilliant to be a player now and hopefully I can play for a few more years and try to continue to perform.\u201d<\/p>\n