Saqib Mahmood

{{For|the former Somerset cricketer|Saqib Mahmood (cricketer, born 1977)}}

{{Infobox cricketer

| name = Saqib Mahmood

| image = 2 20 Saqib Mahmood.jpg

| caption = Mahmood bowling in 2017

| country = England

| fullname = Saqib Mahmood

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1997|2|25}}

| birth_place = Birmingham, West Midlands, England

| height = 6 ft 1 in{{Cite web|url=https://cricket.lancashirecricket.co.uk/teams/men-s-first-xi/saqib-mahmood|title=Saqib Mahmood - Lancashire Cricket Club|access-date=26 October 2023}}

| batting = Right-handed

| bowling = Right-arm fast

| role = Bowler

| international = true

| internationalspan = 2019–present

| testdebutdate = 16 March

| testdebutyear = 2022

| testdebutagainst = West Indies

| testcap = 703

| lasttestdate = 24 March

| lasttestyear = 2022

| lasttestagainst = West Indies

| odidebutdate = 9 February

| odidebutyear = 2020

| odidebutagainst = South Africa

| odicap = 257

| lastodidate = 1 March

| lastodiyear = 2025

| lastodiagainst = South Africa

| odishirt = 25

| T20Idebutdate = 3 November

| T20Idebutyear = 2019

| T20Idebutagainst = New Zealand

| T20Icap = 89

| lastT20Idate = 31 January

| lastT20Iyear = 2025

| lastT20Iagainst = India

| T20Ishirt = 25

| club1 = Lancashire

| year1 = {{nowrap|2015–present}}

| clubnumber1 = 25

| club2 = Peshawar Zalmi

| year2 = {{nowrap|2020–2022}}

| club3 = Oval Invincibles

| year3 = {{nowrap|2021–present}}

| club4 = Sydney Thunder

| year4 = {{nowrap|2021/22}}

| columns = 4

| column1 = Test

| matches1 = 2

| runs1= 52

| bat avg1= 52

| 100s/50s1= 0/0

| top score1= 49

| deliveries1 = 366

| wickets1 = 6

| bowl avg1 = 22.83

| fivefor1 = 0

| tenfor1 = 0

| best bowling1 = 2/21

| catches/stumpings1= 1/–

| column2 = ODI

| matches2 = 13

| runs2= 29

| bat avg2= 9.66

| 100s/50s2= 0/0

| top score2= 12

| deliveries2 = 633

| wickets2 = 17

| bowl avg2 = 32.82

| fivefor2 = 0

| tenfor2 = 0

| best bowling2 = 4/42

| catches/stumpings2= 2/–

| column3 = T20I

| matches3 = 19

| runs3= 35

| bat avg3= 7.00

| 100s/50s3= 0/0

| top score3= 12

| deliveries3 = 378

| wickets3 = 21

| bowl avg3 = 27.90

| fivefor3 = 0

| tenfor3 = 0

| best bowling3 = 4/34

| catches/stumpings3= 2/–

| column4 = FC

| matches4 = 33

| runs4= 375

| bat avg4= 17.04

| 100s/50s4= 0/0

| top score4= 49

| deliveries4 = 5,209

| wickets4 = 87

| bowl avg4 = 30.86

| fivefor4 = 1

| tenfor4 = 0

| best bowling4 = 5/47

| catches/stumpings4= 6/–

| date = 23 April 2025

| source = http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/643885.html ESPNcricinfo

|nickname=Saqi}}

Saqib Mahmood (born 25 February 1997) is an English cricketer who plays for England and Lancashire. Primarily he is a right-arm fast bowler. He made his international Twenty20 debut for England in November 2019, with his Test debut in March 2022.

Early life

Mahmood was born in Birmingham, England to British Pakistani parents, with his ancestral roots in Attock, Punjab.{{Cite web |date=12 November 2020 |title=Zalmi’s Saqib eager to do his best |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/742483-zalmi-s-saqib-eager-to-do-his-best |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250206124951/https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/742483-zalmi-s-saqib-eager-to-do-his-best |archive-date=6 February 2025 |website=The News International |quote=I am from Attock.}}

Domestic career

In April 2019, Mahmood became the first bowler for Lancashire to take a five-wicket haul in successive List A matches, when he did so in the 2019 Royal London One-Day Cup.{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8335/report/1167089/lancashire-vs-leicestershire-north-group-royal-london-one-day-cup |title=Saqib Mahmood on a roll with five-for as Lancashire skittle Leicestershire |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=28 April 2019}}

In May 2021, Mahmood took his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, with 5/47 in the 2021 County Championship match against Yorkshire.{{cite web|url=https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/countychampionship/saqib_mahmood_bowls_lancashire_roses_victory_yorkshire.html |title=Saqib Mahmood bowls Lancashire to Roses victory |work=The Cricketer |access-date=30 May 2021}}

In April 2022, he was bought by the Oval Invincibles for the 2022 season of The Hundred.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/60477088 |title=The Hundred 2022: latest squads as Draft picks revealed |work=BBC Sport |access-date=5 April 2022}} However, the following month he was ruled out of the rest of the season after suffering a back stress fracture.{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/eng-vs-nz-2022-saqib-mahmood-ruled-out-of-season-with-back-stress-fracture-1315288 |title=Saqib Mahmood: England bowler on first stages of recovery from serious back injury |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=16 May 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/61719270 |title=Saqib Mahmood ruled out of season with back stress fracture |work=BBC Sport |access-date=17 July 2022}}

Mahmood signed a new three-year contract to play white-ball cricket for Lancashire in October 2024.{{cite web|url=https://www.wisden.com/cricket-news/saqib-mahmood-signs-lancashire-white-ball-contract-but-retains-test-ambitions|title=Saqib Mahmood signs Lancashire white-ball contract but retains Test ambitions|publisher=Wisden|accessdate=19 October 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/c77xpvvz144o|title=Lancashire fast bowler Mahmood signs new deal|publisher=BBC Sport|accessdate=19 October 2024}} He was a key member of the Oval Invincibles team which emerged triumphant during the final of the 2024 The Hundred season and he played a pivotal role in helping his team Oval Invincibles to defend the title successfully by bowling a match winning spell of 3 for 17 runs against the Southern Brave and he masterminded the procession of wickets when he dismissed Leus du Plooy, Kieron Pollard and Laurie Evans inside seven balls.{{Cite web |title=Saqib Mahmood's searing spell seals back-to-back titles for Oval Invincibles |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/the-hundred-men-s-competition-2024-1417778/oval-invincibles-men-vs-southern-brave-men-final-1417823/match-report |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=ESPNcricinfo |language=en}} For his match winning efforts with the ball in the 2024 The Hundred final, he was awarded the player of the final.

International career

In September 2019, Mahmood was named in England's Test and Twenty20 International (T20I) squads for their series against New Zealand.{{cite web|url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1356220 |title=Bairstow dropped from England Test squad for New Zealand series |work=International Cricket Council |access-date=23 September 2019}} Mahmood made his T20I debut for England, against New Zealand, on 3 November 2019.{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/1187666.html |title=2nd T20I, England tour of New Zealand at Wellington, Nov 3 2019 |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=3 November 2019}} Mahmood made his ODI debut for England, against South Africa, on 9 February 2020.{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/1185312.html |title=3rd ODI, England tour of South Africa at Johannesburg, Feb 9 2020 |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=9 February 2020}}

In August 2021, Mahmood was added to England's squad for the second Test against India, after Stuart Broad was ruled out of the rest of the series due to injury.{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/england-vs-india-2nd-test-stuart-broad-ruled-out-for-rest-of-test-series-against-india-1272920 |title=Stuart Broad ruled out for rest of Test series against India |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=11 August 2021}} In February 2022, Mahmood was again named in England's Test squad, this time for their series against the West Indies.{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/wi-vs-eng-2021-22-james-anderson-stuart-broad-dropped-from-england-test-squad-for-west-indies-1300320 |title=James Anderson, Stuart Broad dropped from England Test squad for West Indies |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=8 February 2022}} Mahmood made his Test debut on 16 March 2022, for England against the West Indies.{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/1256727.html |title=2nd Test, Bridgetown, Mar 16 - 20 2022, England tour of West Indies |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=16 March 2022}} Mahmood faced setbacks to maintain his steady progress at international level, as he could not guarantee the role of being a mainstay in England team across formats after suffering consecutive lower-back stress fractures and he had to work on his way to regain fitness to earn his place in the lineup.{{Cite web |title=Saqib Mahmood visa delay hits England preparations for India tour |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/saqib-mahmood-visa-delay-england-india-tour-1468986 |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=ESPNcricinfo |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Saqib Mahmood 'still has Test ambition' despite signing Lancashire white-ball deal |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/saqib-mahmood-still-has-test-ambition-despite-signing-lancashire-white-ball-deal-1455963 |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=ESPNcricinfo |language=en}} He literally spent probably the peak years of him in the sidelines for majority of the two years from 2022 to 2023, as he had to race against time to recover from a long injury layoff which made him unable to immediately return to top-flight cricket.

In November 2024, Mahmood earned player of the series award for his bowling exploits in the England's tour of the West Indies, where he dominated the West Indies batting lineup in the five-match T20I series by picking up nine wickets.{{Cite web |title=Mahmood mixes data with feels to solve England's powerplay problem |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/wi-vs-eng-england-mix-data-with-feel-to-help-saqib-mahmood-solve-their-powerplay-problem-1459728 |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=ESPNcricinfo |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=The second coming of Saqib Mahmood, the 'King of Barbados' |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/wi-vs-eng-2nd-t20i-the-second-coming-of-saqib-mahmood-king-of-barbados-1459211 |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=ESPNcricinfo |language=en}} During the five-match T20I series against the West Indies, he broke David Willey's record for having taken the most number of wickets by an England bowler inside the powerplay overs in either a bilateral T20I series or a T20I tournament after grabbing a tally of eight scalps within the 1-6 overs during the five-match T20I series.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-14 |title=Saqib Mahmood Breaks All-Time England T20I Record After Yet Another Powerplay Burst |url=https://www.wisden.com/series/west-indies-vs-england-m-202425/cricket-news/saqib-mahmood-england-t20i-record |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=Wisden |language=en}} Willey held the previous England record for having taken the most T20I powerplay over wickets in a series or tournament with seven of them coming at the 2016 World Twenty20.

In around mid January 2025, he faced visa clearance delays as he was supposed to tour India with the other England team members for their white ball bilateral home series. Due to his Pakistani heritage, he apparently faced delays in clearing his visa and he also apparently missed the pace-bowling camp in Abu Dhabi ahead of the India tour.{{Cite web |date=2025-01-14 |title=Pakistan-origin England pacer Saqib faces delay in securing Indian visa: Report |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket/story/saqib-mahmood-england-pacer-pakistan-origin-visa-delay-india-t20i-series-abu-dhabi-camp-2664709-2025-01-14 |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=India Today |language=en}} He was belatedly granted visa by Indian officials and he was just well in time to fly with the other England players to India.{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Ali |date=2025-01-17 |title=Saqib Mahmood belatedly given India visa to fly out with England squad |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jan/17/saqib-mahmood-belatedly-given-india-visa-so-can-fly-out-with-england-squad |access-date=2025-02-02 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite news |last=Paul |first=Koushik |date=2025-01-17 |title=IND vs ENG: Relief for Saqib Mahmood, England as Pakistan-origin pacer granted India visa after initial delay {{!}} Mint |url=https://www.livemint.com/sports/cricket-news/ind-vs-eng-relief-for-saqib-mahmood-england-as-pakistan-origin-pacer-granted-india-visa-after-initial-delay-11737113055098.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250125000553/https://www.livemint.com/sports/cricket-news/ind-vs-eng-relief-for-saqib-mahmood-england-as-pakistan-origin-pacer-granted-india-visa-after-initial-delay-11737113055098.html |archive-date=2025-01-25 |access-date=2025-02-02 |work=mint |language=en}} On 31 January 2025, Mahmood picked up a triple wicket maiden over in the second over of India's innings during the fourth T20I between England and India and during the procession of India's middle order collapse, albeit he had been the fulcrum of the collapse, as he picked up the priced scalps of Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav in the same over in a space of six balls to reduce India to a precarious position of 12 runs for the loss of three wickets.{{Cite web |title=England Pacer Saqib Mahmood Registers Historic Triple-Wicket Maiden Against India in 4th T20I |url=https://www.news18.com/cricket/ind-vs-eng-4th-t20i-englands-saqib-mahmood-registers-historic-triple-wicket-maiden-india-left-shell-shocked-9209932.html |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=News18 |language=en}}https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/saqib-mahmood-creates-history-with-triple-wicket-maiden-sanju-samson-tilak-varma-suryakumar-yadav-out-in-one-over-101738332329930.html{{Cite web |date=2025-01-31 |title=Watch: England Outsmart SKY With Funky Leg-Side Trap To Cap Off Mahmood Triple-Wicket Maiden {{!}} IND vs ENG 2025 {{!}} Cricket News Today |url=https://www.wisden.com/series/india-vs-england-m-2025/cricket-news/watch-england-outsmart-sky-with-funky-leg-side-trap-to-cap-off-mahmood-triple-wicket-maiden |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=Wisden |language=en}} He also became only the second ever bowler in a men's T20I match after West Indies's Jerome Taylor (who achieved the feat against South Africa in 2007) to complete the milestone of having taken three wickets while also not conceding any runs in the same over.{{Cite web |title=Who Is Saqib Mahmood? England's Pakistan-Origin Star Who Forces India To Suffer Historic Low In 4th T20I {{!}} Cricket News |url=https://sports.ndtv.com/india-vs-england-2025/who-is-saqib-mahmood-englands-pakistan-origin-star-who-forces-india-to-suffer-historic-low-in-4th-t20i-7605440 |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=NDTVSports.com |language=en}}

Playing style

As a result of Mahmood's bowling action, his pace (up to 90 mph), his use of reverse-swing and yorkers, especially during the death-overs, he has been compared to Waqar Younis.Cricket365 (31 October 2019), [https://www.cricket365.com/player-news/saqib-mahmood/c365-meets-saqib-mahmood-on-anderson-waqar-reverse-swing-and-that-first-england-call/ "C365 meets Saqib Mahmood: On Anderson, Waqar, reverse-swing and that first England call"], Cricket365. 10 April 2020.