LIAM Dawson has retained his place in the England squad for the third Test with South Africa.

The Calne all-rounder has played in the opening two Test against South Africa, with the series tied at 1-1 apiece.

There have been calls from a number of pundits – including former England captain Michael Vaughan – for the Hampshire player to be dropped from Trevor Bayliss’ side.

However, the England selectors have opted to retain the 26-year-old for the pivotal Test at the Oval, which begins next Thursday.

England squad: Joe Root (Yorkshire, captain), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Alastair Cook (Essex), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Keaton Jennings (Durham), Dawid Malan (Middlesex), Toby Roland-Jones (Middlesex), Ben Stokes (Durham), Tom Westley (Essex), Mark Wood (Durham).