Liam Dawson Retires from First-Class Cricket in County Championship 2026

Liam Dawson has decided to retire from first-class cricket, but will continue to play for Hampshire in white-ball cricket.

Hampshire All-Rounder Liam Dawson Announces Retirement Liam Dawson, the 36-year-old Hampshire all-rounder, has announced his immediate retirement from first-class cricket. Dawson will continue to represent the county in the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup, but has decided to step away from the red-ball game. This decision has been made in an effort to extend his career in white-ball cricket. ## Dawson's Career Highlights and Statistics Dawson has played in four of Hampshire's first five County Championship matches this season, taking seven wickets. He missed the home game against Glamorgan due to injury, which Hampshire lost by an innings and 69 runs. Dawson has scored over 10,000 runs and taken over 350 wickets across 200-plus appearances for Hampshire. ## Dawson's Thoughts on His Career and Decision In a statement, Dawson said, 'This is a decision that I haven't taken lightly but I feel for the benefit of prolonging my career in white-ball cricket, the time is right.' He added, 'I'm extremely proud to have played over 200 games for Hampshire and have had some amazing memories with so many players over the years.' Dawson also expressed his gratitude to the fans and members who have supported him throughout his career. ## Dawson's Career Statistics and Achievements Dawson has featured four times in Test matches for England against India and South Africa, with his most recent appearance coming last summer at Old Trafford. He has scored 54 half-centuries and 17 hundreds, with a career-best innings of 171 coming against Kent at Canterbury in 2022. Only Robin Smith, Jimmy Adams, and James Vince have scored more runs than Dawson for the county. ## Reaction from Hampshire Cricket Director Giles White, director of cricket at Hampshire, said, 'Liam has been an outstanding servant to Hampshire Cricket. He leaves a huge hole in the team and will be hard to replace, especially for the remainder of this Championship season.' White also expressed his support for Dawson's decision and his commitment to the white-ball game.