- Mahmood took three wickets with the new ball in the thrashing of West Indies
- He believes his versatility can make him a key component in Brook’s attack
- But he is refusing to get carried away as he looks to add to his two Test caps
Saqib Mahmood is confident he can play a leading role in England’s new white-ball era – thanks to his versatility.
The Lancashire seamer took three wickets with the new ball as England thrashed West Indies at Edgbaston on Thursday in the first match of Harry Brook’s captaincy.
And Mahmood believes his ability to swing the ball both ways, as well as being able to bowl at both the start and end of an innings, can make him a key component in Brook’s attack.
‘I feel like I’m quite versatile in what I try,’ said the 28-year-old ahead of the second ODI in Cardiff.
‘From one end at Edgbaston, I was trying to swing the ball back in with the breeze. Then when I came on at the other end, I found I could swing the ball away as well.
‘I try to cover all bases, especially with that new ball. That’s my way of helping out the team. That’s what I feel like my role is here. And I obviously have my skills at the backend as well.’
England seamer Saqib Mahmood is confident he can play a key role in the new white-ball era
Mahmood took three wickets with the new ball as England thrashed West Indies
He believes his ability to swing the ball both ways can make him a key component
Mahmood was not awarded an ECB central contract at the end of last year, which could have signalled the beginning of the end of his international career.
However, the pace bowler appears to be back to his best after recovering from successive stress fractures dating back to spring 2022.
‘I don’t want to say I’m stronger than ever because I feel like I’m jinxing it,’ said Mahmood. ‘But since coming back from those back injuries, this is the most I’ve put through my body and it’s tolerated it pretty well.
‘I’ve managed to string a lot of cricket over the last 12 months and I’m just happy about that.’
Despite signing a white-ball only deal with Lancashire last autumn, Mahmood made two County Championship appearances earlier this season.
However, he claimed just two wickets on batting-friendly surfaces at Old Trafford and is realistic about his chances of adding to his two Test caps.
‘It was good that I got some overs under my belt for Lancs, but they were two pretty hard wickets to bowl on,’ added Mahmood. ‘They didn’t really give me the best chance to try and get some wickets.
‘But I’m just trying to do well here at the moment. The main focus is this series and the T20s.
England were victorious at Edgbaston in Harry Brook’s (centre) first match as captain
Mahmood looks back to his best after recovering from successive stress fractures
But he is refusing to get carried away as he looks to add to his two Test caps to date
‘I’m not really looking too far ahead of that because there’s just so much competition in the team and you want to do the best you can.
‘You don’t really want to take your eye off it and look too far ahead. So my main focus is the here and now and I don’t want to take my eye off the action.’
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England seamer Saqib Mahmood confident he can play a leading role in new white-ball era under Harry Brook – as he reveals delight with his injury recovery