HAMPSHIRE'S Liam Dawson has had his place confirmed in the new North v South series in the United Arab Emirates next March.

Dawson, Tim Bresnan, Harry Gurney, Ben Duckett and the Somerset pair of Lewis Gregory and Tim Groenewald are among the eight players who will be invited to play in the three-match series.

They along with Northamptonshire slow left-armer Graeme White and Kent all-rounder Matt Coles earned selection for the three-match North v South series as the top four England-qualified players in each region in this season’s Professional Cricketers’ Association Most Valuable Player Rankings.

Hampshire all-rounder Dawson, who made his T20 International debut against Sri Lanka at the Ageas Bowl earlier this season, topped the Royal London One Day Cup PCA MVP Rankings with 128 points, two ahead of White. Dawson and White were the leading spinners in each group.

Dawson earned 25 rankings points for his rapid century against Glamorgan at Swansea on Sunday, where he scored at a rate of 147, and 44 for his bowling throughout the group stage of the RLODC in which he took eight wickets with an economy rate of 4.25.

Dawson is also the overall leader of the PCA MVP with 387 points, 28 ahead of Worcestershire all-rounder Joe Leach.

The PCA MVP Rankings system identifies the match-winners and key influencers of matches by using a formula that measures each player’s total contribution by taking into account conditions, quality of opposition, captaincy, strike rates as well as runs scored and wickets taken.

The remaining players in the North v South series will be chosen by the England selectors who will be thinking about the strategic needs of the England team in the build-up to the 2019 World Cup.