England’s call to Liam Dawson, following a finger injury which has put Shoaib Bashir out for the rest of the Test series against India, was no surprise.

The left-arm spinner has been regarded as one of the most consistent performers in domestic cricket for several years, although that is not an arena which appears to be held in any great regard by those picking the national side these days.

At 35, he should – barring a late injury or change of mind by the selectors – play his first Test for eight years and get the opportunity to reward those who have been calling for his inclusion.

It was unfortunate for Bashir that his last contribution to the series, taking the final wicket at Lord’s, should mark the end of his involvement. A badly broken finger on his left (non-bowling) hand might not prevent him from bowling but makes fielding and batting hazardous. Bashir has plenty of critics, most of whom appear unable to comprehend how he vaulted from club to Test cricket inside two years and has been learning his craft along the way.

Dawson, in contrast, had nine years from his first-class debut to the first of his three Tests and is a fully seasoned pro in a craft where experience counts for so much. His 371 first-class wickets (at 31) from 212 matches are a relatively modest haul but camouflage the fact he was regarded primarily as a batter for a sizeable period.

There is no doubt he has excellent control although whether he spins the ball sufficiently on Test-quality pitches remains to be seen.

Ironically, Dawson’s return will come on the same ground as that of Pat Pocock when he returned from an eight-year exile in 1984.

The Surrey off-spinner had lost his place in 1976, after an Old Trafford mauling by the West Indies made notorious by the ferocious pounding by Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and Wayne Daniel of England’s veteran openers John Edrich and Brian Close.

Pocock watched for the next eight years while all manner of alternatives were tried, some because they could bat a bit better or were younger or just hadn’t been given a chance previously, before he was recalled. And he came back in against West Indies, still captained by Clive Lloyd and by then fully established as the best team in the world.

England were beaten by an innings but at least Pocock did enough to retain his place for the final match of a series lost 5-0 – and would go on to play his part in a 2-1 series win in India the following winter.

Graeme Swann was another spinner who returned to the England side after a long gap. Taken for his long-term promise to South Africa in 1999-2000, he did not play in the major matches and got on the wrong side of coach Duncan Fletcher, never a good place to be for any player with international ambitions.

Fletcher had been gone almost two years when Swann, by then a hardy pro who had enjoyed success with Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire, returned in the winter of 2008-09. By then he knew his own game intimately and went on to take 255 Test wickets in five years.

By Richard Spiller