AS the non-striker when Ben Stokes hit the first five balls of a Liam Dawson over for six five years ago, Hampshire coach Dale Benkenstein offers a unique insight into the England new boy’s character.

Benkenstein, who has worked alongside Hampshire director of cricket Giles White for the last two seasons, was batting for Durham at the Ageas Bowl when Stokes came within one maximum of joining the great Sir Garry Sobers in county cricket’s record books in April 2011.

The South African was coming towards the end of an unbroken 140-run partnership with Stokes when Durham’s then 19 year-old wunderkind launched his quintet, sending four back over Dawson’s head and sweeping the other, shortly after reaching the third of his 11 first-class centuries.

When Stokes’ fifth six landed on the roof of a temporary structure at the Northern End, Benkenstein offered slow left-armer Dawson a few cheeky words of advice.

“I told Daws’ to lob up the last ball as it was a great chance to bowl himself into the record books!” laughs Benkenstein, as he recalled a lengthy delay during which the 21 year-old Dawson prepared to avoid becoming only the second player to concede six sixes in a County Championship over.

Daily Echo:

Ben Stokes hits his fifth successive six against Liam Dawson in April 2011, with Dale Benkenstein at the bowler's end (Picture by Neil Marshall)

A wry smile crossed Dawson’s lips, but he was determined to avoid a repeat of Malcolm Nash’s famous over against the great Sobers, for Glamorgan against Nottinghamshire at Swansea in 1968.

With his dad Andy looking on, he speared the last ball at Stokes’ toes, restricting his former England U19 teammate to a single to fine-leg.

Nic Pothas came up to give him some advice and he bowled a very quick yorker!” chuckles Benkenstein.

“Daws’ has got a lot a lot of pride in his performance. Although Stokesy hit some unbelievably big sixes in that over – some of them landed in the car park - there was no way he was hitting that last one for six!

“Daws showed that he’s a fighter and a winner.”

That ‘ticker’ is one of the attributes that persuaded new England coach Trevor Bayliss to include Dawson in his 15-man World T20 squad this week, on the basis of a few net sessions.

It also reminds Benkenstein of Stokes himself.

“They might be very different bowlers but they're similar characters from similar backgrounds with a similar ability to affect a game,” explains Benkenstein.

“The great thing about Daws’ is he has three facets to his game. Like Stokesy, he gives teams a balance.

"When I played against him for Durham against Hampshire, we were more wary of the likes of [Sean] Ervine, [Neil] McKenzie and [Dimi] Mascarenhas.

“But then Daws would come in with a match-winning 60 or 70 and make the difference.

“Not everything comes together at the same time, but he has two other avenues in which he can contribute.

“If he’s not bowling great, he takes phenomenal catches.”

Benkenstein is confident Dawson’s all-round skills will see him follow Stokes into England’s teams in all formats.

“Fifty-over cricket is his best format with bat and ball, that’s where he’s most comfortable, but Daws’ also loves T20 and has the ability to change a game with bat and ball in that format too.

“His four-day career is really only just starting. He’s a very experienced first-class cricketer who’s played over100 first-class games, but is still very young.

“There’s still a lot of room for him to improve, he can become a very good Test player.

"He’s done a lot of work with [former England slow left-armer] Ian Blackwell, who he can discuss things with at any time.

“Batting for me is a more demanding skill which takes longer to mature, but towards the end of last season he really showed what he can do.

“Put all that together with his catching and he’s an invaluable all-round asset. The way he’s played for the Lions will have given him a lot of confidence as well as experience and this[call-up] can really help him to fulfill his potential.”

Dawson, who will be 26 next month, has only played one more T20 game for Hampshire in the last two seasons (six) than he has for the Lions in the last two months.

But since returning from a loan spell at Essex last July he has been outstanding.

He finished the season averaging more with the bat than the ball in the 50-over Royal London One-Day Cup (64/22) and the Championship (37/34) - the sign of a genuine all-rounder.

An injury to Surrey’s Zafar Ansari opened the way for his Lions call-up.

Having leapfrogged former Hampshire teammate Danny Briggs in the pecking order at both county and England level, he out-bowled Stephen Parry, another rival left-armer, during the Lions’ 3-0 T20 series win against Pakistan A in December, taking four wickets at 25.5 apiece as well as topping the batting averages with 98.

As the Lions’ leading all-rounder during the 3-2 50-over series defeat to the same opposition last month (171 runs at 34.2 and eight wickets at 26), Dawson completed an outstanding two months in his first sustained England representative spell since playing alongside Stokes for England U19s.

“It’s been an incredible turnaround, it’s amazing how quickly things change,” continued Benkenstein, who has been impressed with Dawson’s response to being left out of Hampshire’s side during the group stage of last season’s Natwest T20 Blast.

“Everyone has known his talent, but it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster for Daws in the last couple of years.

“He’s also had some tough times. Last year was not easy for him, we had a very successful T20 team and didn’t realise how well Will Smith would do when Daws was out injured.

“But Daws came out of it strong, he came back in for the 50-over stuff and was our best player. He also took on the spinner’s role [in the Championship] and scored consistent runs.”

Dawson last made national headlines in 2012, when he twice dismissed Kevin Pietersen first ball.

A month after being dismissed for a diamond duck at The Oval, Pietersen was booed off in his first game back at The Ageas Bowl after Dawson bowled him with a crackerjack delivery in a 40-over match.

For many years, Pietersen was the sole representative in England’s squad, the exceptions being when the likes of Shaun Udal, Dimi Mascarenhas, Chris Tremlett and Michael Carberry were also involved.

How refreshing to now see two homegrown Hampshire players in an England squad, as well as new signing Reece Topley.

It is easy to overlook the fact that James Vince only has three T20 caps himself.

Not so long ago, he and Dawson were playing together for Chippenham U13s, Wiltshire and the Hampshire academy.

Now they are on the cusp of playing at a World Cup together.