Liam Dawson: Hampshire all-rounder not surprised by England Lions omission

Liam Dawson played in England's first two Tests against South Africa in July

Hampshire all-rounder Liam Dawson believes his omission from the England Lions squad to tour Australia is based on his displays in red ball cricket.

The 27-year-old played two Tests for England against South Africa in July before he was dropped from the side.

"I don't think I did myself any justice at Test level," Dawson told BBC Sport.

Somerset spinners Jack Leach and Dom Bess were selected ahead of Dawson for the trip which will shadow England's Ashes squad in November and December.

Dawson, who made his Test debut in India last winter, scored only 18 runs and took five wickets in his two games against the Proteas.

He struggled for form with the bat in the County Championship too, making 334 runs at an average of 20.88, although he did take 31 wickets at 26.1 apiece with his left-arm spin.

"I wasn't looking too much into the decision," Dawson admitted to BBC Radio Solent. "It wasn't a huge shock not to be involved, but there's not much I can do about it.

"That's part of sport and I've just to get on with it and try to improve to get into the next squad."

Keaton Jennings, Tom Westley and Mark Wood, who all featured in the South Africa series, are among the 17-man Lions squad.

"I imagine a lot of the Lions schedule this winter is built around red ball cricket," Dawson added.

"I bowled fairly well for Hampshire in the Championship, but I didn't bowl anywhere near as well as I can in the Tests, which is frustrating.

Dawson is still set for an eventful winter despite being overlooked. He is due to get married on Saturday and will return to the Bangladesh Premier League in November for a second year to play in the Twenty20 competition for Chittagong Vikings.