LIAM Dawson has urged Hampshire’s top order to continue their attacking batting style despite a winless start to the Vitality Blast.

James Vince, Rilee Rossouw, Sam Northeast and overseas signing Colin Munro have only managed 131 runs between them in Hampshire’s opening three games.

The stuttering start in the Vitality Blast is contrary to their brilliant Royal London One-Day Cup campaign – where they only suffered two defeats and the openers underpinned their success.

“If you look at the way they play each time, they don’t play any differently,” said all-rounder Dawson, with Hampshire facing back-to-back games against Middlesex tomorrow and Essex on Saturday.

“On some days it comes off and some days it doesn’t.

“They are all fine players, they are very experienced and they have played a lot of domestic Twenty20 cricket not only in England but around the world and internationally.

“Their form won’t faze them, they will keep backing their skills and they’ll be brave out there and try and get some runs.

“The big thing in Twenty20 is to not go into your shell at all. You have to back yourself every time you go out to bat.

“When you are underperforming as a player or a side in Twenty20 cricket, the braver you are in the next game the more success you will have.

“Colin Munro has been unlucky in the past few games where he has hit the ball really well but straight at the fielder, either side and it is four runs.

“There is luck involved, when it goes for you it goes for you and when it doesn’t it doesn’t and at the moment it isn’t, but we have 11 games to put that right.”

Hampshire had never lost their opening three matches of a Twenty20 campaign, but Dawson has warned against disregarding the county.

“I think anyone writing us off is silly to do so,” Dawson insisted.

“We have a very good team, but a good team on paper doesn’t mean anything when it comes to results.

“We need to pull out our fingers and we have two massive games this weekend.

“We all need to give a little bit more and get a first win on the board for our confidence.

“That is something we need to rectify but we are only three games in. You probably need to win seven of the 14 games and you end up qualifying in fourth place.”

Dawson has enjoyed a fantastic white-ball summer, with highlights including 76 against Somerset in the One-Day Cup, 75 not out in last week’s Blast defeat to Kent and 14 wickets in five England Lions fixtures.

The latter catapulted Dawson, who has a single ODI appearance, back onto the England radar – with a World Cup coming up next summer.

The left-arm spinner’s problem is Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid stand in his way.

“Rash and Mo have a good partnership going,” Dawson conceded. “I am very realistic that unless someone gets injured then it will be hard for me to get into that team.

“All I can do is keep on doing well for Hampshire.

“The way Mo and Rash have bowled for England in the last few years, they have won quite a few games for them. They have done an excellent job.

“If I get a chance to be in the squad then excellent but if not then all I can do is keep on doing well at Hampshire.”