WILTSHIRE cricketer Liam Dawson says he cannot rely on home advantage to play into his favour in his bid to win a first England cap next month.

Earlier this week, Calne’s Dawson was named in the England Twenty20 squad to face Sri Lanka at the Ageas Bowl on July 5, alongside fellow Wiltshire player and Hampshire teammate James Vince, from Steeple Ashton.

Dawson was a surprise inclusion in the England squad for the World Twenty20 in India earlier this year but did not make an appearance as Eoin Morgan’s men were beaten by the West Indies in the final.

The fact that this match will be played at the home of Dawson’s county side could help strengthen the 26-year-old’s case when it comes to selecting the final team, although the all-rounder wants it to be his performances on the field that get him the nod.

“I’d love to be in the team, especially at my home ground as well, that would be pretty special,” said Dawson, who returned to Wiltshire to play for hometown club Goatacre at the weekend.

“But there is a lot of cricket coming up, a lot of Twenty20s and a lot of one-day cricket, so hopefully if I keep doing well, I can stake a claim.

“Maybe the fact it’s at the Rose Bowl helps me a little bit but I am not sure I can look too much into that.

“England have played a number of times there and they know what the ground does and know what the wicket does. It all depends on what team they go with.”

Although he did not see any action in the middle in India back in the spring, Dawson learned a lot from his experience with the England set-up.

With plenty of international cricket to be played over the next few years, culminating in a home 50-over World Cup in 2019, Dawson is hungry to stay in the fold as long as possible.

“It’s definitely good to still be in England’s thoughts, they have got a lot of cricket coming up,” said Dawson.

“They have got a Champions Trophy next year and a World Cup coming up in 2019 as well. I would love to be involved in that but I have got to keep putting performances in for Hampshire and if I do that, who knows what will happen.

“The World Twenty20 was definitely good experience and it gives you a taste of it and you want more of it but I need to keep working hard and then hopefully, one day, I might be back there.”