The 36-year-old will continue playing white-ball cricket for Hampshire in the Vitality Blast and Metro Bank One Day Cup after ending a distinguished First-Class career that saw him score more than 10,000 runs and claim over 350 wickets in more than 200 red-ball appearances.
He also featured four times in Test matches for England where he scored an unbeaten 66 on debut in India and took eight wickets, including dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal with his seventh ball on his return to the Test side in 2025.
He was also awarded the PCA Men’s Player of the Year in 2024, becoming the first domestic player to win the award since 2018. In the same season, Dawson also won the PCA Men’s Domestic Overall MCP and the Vitality County Championship Player of the Year.
Following his standout performances in 2024, Dawson was named as one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year to become the first Hampshire player to be included since Kevin Pietersen in 2006.
Liam Dawson, said: “I’ve decided to retire from First-Class cricket. It’s 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.
“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. I’m fully committed to playing white ball cricket for Hampshire and continuing the success we’ve had.
“To the fans and members who have turned out over the years, I can’t thank you enough for your support. Hampshire will always be my home, and I look forward to playing in front of you all at Utilita Bowl very soon.”
Dawson will go down in history as one of Hampshire’s modern-day greats. Of men’s Hampshire players in the 21st century, only Robin Smith, Jimmy Adams, and James Vince have scored more runs than Dawson.
He scored 54 half-centuries and 17 hundreds, with a career-best innings of 171 coming in Hampshire’s victory over Kent at Canterbury in 2022 as the team went on to finish third in the County Championship.
From 2023-2024, Dawson had a remarkable purple patch with both bat and ball. He scored 1,796 runs across the two Championship campaigns, with nine fifties and six centuries, and took 103 wickets at an average of 22.69 with eight five-wicket hauls.
Against Middlesex at Utilita Bowl in 2023, Dawson became the first Hampshire player to score a century and take ten wickets in the match since CB Llewellyn in 1903; Dawson then repeated the feat against Lancashire at Old Trafford a year later.
Across his County Championship career, Dawson finished runners-up in 2024 and third in 2022. He helped the club gain promotion from Division Two in 2014, with the club remaining in Division One since then – a period of 11 consecutive years in the top flight.
Giles White, Director of Cricket, said: “Liam has been an outstanding servant to Hampshire Cricket. To have played over 200 First Class games for this county speaks volumes about his dedication and quality.
“He leaves a huge hole in the team and will be hard to replace, especially for the remainder of this Championship season.
“He is the only Hampshire player of the modern era to represent the Club in over 200 First Class appearances, which underlines just how rare an achievement that is at this level.
“We support Liam’s decision and are delighted he remains fully committed to the white ball game. He has been integral to the success we’ve built in that format, and we have no doubt he will continue to be a match winner for Hampshire for years to come. He remains a hugely important part of our plans.”
Liam Dawson will remain available for Hampshire in the Vitality Blast and Metro Bank One-Day Cup, where he has tasted success lifting six white ball trophies, including all three of Hampshire’s T20 titles.
Hampshire Hawks’ men reached a record 11th Finals Day in 2025, whilst both Hampshire’s men and women were One Day Cup finalists last summer.
Fans can watch Liam Dawson in Hampshire colours with a Vitality Blast Passport.
Blast Passports, which grant access to all seven of Hampshire Hawks’ home group matchdays, are available for £119 and remain one of the most popular ways to follow the Hawks across the entire summer.
© Cricket World 2026
