Liam Dawson: Hampshire's England all-rounder signs new contract

Liam Dawson last played for England in November's one-day series in Australia

Liam Dawson has signed a new contract with Hampshire, keeping him with the county until 2025.

The England international all-rounder, 33, is a product of the club's youth system and made his first-team debut in 2007.

Dawson has since made 428 appearances across all formats and helped Hampshire win last year's T20 Blast trophy.

He said: "I'm delighted. I've been here since I was 10. To sign for another three seasons here is brilliant."

Dawson, who has played three Tests as well as six one-day and 11 T20 internationals, was given special dispensation to miss England's T20 series against Bangladesh to focus on playing franchise cricket.

Last year he played for Pakistani side Islamabad United and says his decision was made for financial reasons.

Dawson, who was a member of England's 2019 World Cup-winning squad, told BBC South Today: "It depends what stage of your career you're at. Some people will see playing for England as the be-all and end-all.

"For me now, at this stage of my career, playing as much cricket as I can is very important for me. Franchise cricket is something that I do want to play.

"I've been involved in a lot of England squads and not played that much over the years. So for me, going to these tournaments and playing more is better than not playing.

"For me it was a pretty easy decision. I'm 33 now, am not getting any younger, and I've got to look at cricket financially as well. You've got to try to make as much as you can."

Cricketing crossroads?

New Zealand bowler Trent Boult is another high-profile player to have made a similar decision, opting out of a central contract with New Zealand.

And Dawson expects more players to follow suit in order to earn as much money as they can.

The issue prompted the Marylebone Cricket Club's [MCC] world committee to recently warn that the game is at an "important crossroads" and needs "urgent intervention" amid its crowded schedule.

"People have got different reasons for playing cricket and one of those is financial," said Dawson.

"With the opportunities that are out there now, you've got to respect people's decisions. People have their own careers to look after."