England name uncapped Hampshire spinner Liam Dawson in World T20 squad

England have named uncapped spinner Liam Dawson in their squad for the T20 World Cup in India. The 25-year-old Hampshire star has impressed at domestic level with both bat and ball, and is the one surprise inclusion in the England squad for the tournament.

Dawson starred during the recent England Lions series against Pakistan A and is set to travel to South Africa later this week to meet up with his new team-mates.

"Liam Dawson has been selected after consistently strong performances for the Lions recently against Pakistan A," national selector James Whitaker told the official ECB website. "As a left-arm spinning all-rounder he will be a very useful addition, particularly in sub-continent conditions."

The squad also includes Steven Finn, who is missing the current one-day international and T20 series in South Africa with a side strain. However, Stuart Broad and Warwickshire all-rounder Chris Woakes both miss out on selection. There is also no place for Kevin Pietersen, who has been in great form in Australia's T20 Big Bash League.

Meanwhile, it has also been confirmed former Sri Lanka batsman Mahela Jayawardene will join the coaching team for the first 10 days of the tournament. He will work alongside Trevor Bayliss, Paul Farbrace and Ottis Gibson, as well as former England batsman Paul Collingwood.

"Mahela and Paul proved very popular additions to the coaching team when they spent time with England in the UAE earlier this winter and I'm delighted that they are both able to help our T20 side," explained director of cricket Andrew Strauss.

"Their international experience, previous success at World T20 tournaments and, particularly in Mahela's case, knowledge of conditions make them ideal resources to tap into and I have no doubt the players will gain a huge amount from having them around the dressing room."

England play their first game of the tournament in Mumbai against West Indies on 16 March.

England ICC World T20 squad: Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey