Sajid Mahmood

Full Name	Sajid Mahmood
Nickname	Saj
DoB	21st December 1981
Height	6' 4''
Bats/Bowls	Right hand/Right arm fast
Shirt Number	19
Lancashire	Scholarship 2002. Debut 2002. Cap 2007
Tests	8 - Debut v Sri Lanka, Lord's 2006
ODI	25 - Debut v New Zealand, Bristol 2004. T20I: 2

Profile

One of Sajid Mahmood’s best known qualities is his searing pace, after all it was what brought him to the attention of the England selectors back in 2004.

But gone are the days when that was his only attribute.

He will quite readily admit that his international career was put on the backburner in mid-2007 due to his lack of consistency.

Sajid’s raw pace has not always been harnessed with accuracy, but over recent years he has turned that around and earned himself that much sought after England recall for their one-day series in South Africa in November, 2009.

The former Bolton League man was spotted by Lancashire following spells at Astley Bridge and Egerton, and joined the Red Rose on a scholarship in 2002. He made his debut in the same season and was quickly selected for the ECB National Academy squad despite only having taken six first-class wickets.

He was highly rated and quickly singled out for full international honours by many including former Australian wicketkeeper and Academy coach Rod Marsh. That international call-up followed in the NatWest Series against New Zealand at Bristol and he went for 56 in just seven overs. Saj has since admitted that he was nowhere near ready for that day – he needed more cricket under his belt.

That came with a string of impressive performances for Lancashire – and also in the nets.

He broke Gloucestershire’s Alex Gidman’s hand at the ECB Academy, while he also floored Andrew Flintoff with an accidental beamer at one time.

Saj played a part in the club’s County Championship Division Two triumph in 2005, although injuries restricted him to just 14 wickets.

After recovering from his troubles, he made a lasting impression on England’s A tour to the West Indies the following winter - lasting enough for him to be called back into the full one-day squad for the series in India.

The cousin of boxing star Amir Khan will be the first to admit that his Test call up, that followed in May 2006 against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, was due to a run of injuries to other senior bowlers. But a fiery three wicket burst in Sri Lanka’s first innings set the ball rolling for the rest of the summer and a Test best of 4-22 against Pakistan at Headingley sealed the series against the country of his parents.

The pace ace was soon named in England’s squad for the trip down under to defend the 2006 Ashes against Australia. Mahmood made his Ashes debut in the 3rd Test at Perth before picking up 4-100 in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

Shortly afterwards he was named in the 16-man party for the successful Commonwealth Bank Series against Australia and New Zealand.

He also featured in the 50-over World Cup in the Caribbean, at the start of 2007, and although he missed out on subsequent England selection, the year was encouraging one for the Bolton speedster.

Up to early June, he was looking in sublime form, ready to claim his England Test place back. But unfortunately he was forced to undergo a double hernia op that kept him out for six weeks. Upon his return, he struggled initially to regain that consistent rhythm, but did claim his career best one-day figures of 5-16 in a friendly against Sri Lanka A at Liverpool.

He was awarded his county cap at the end of the season after contributing well to Lancashire's tilt at the County Championship - and showed exactly why again in 2008, as he demonstrated further why a return to the international arena would be not too far away.

Saj claimed 35 Championship wickets, showing plenty of control. His season’s best of 5-76 came against arch-rivals Sussex at Hove in late June.

But just as he was starting to really go full tilt at an England recall - he had earlier played for the England Lions against South Africa - he went down with a side strain to rule him out of the last month of the season.

He was named in England’s Performance Programme Squad to travel to India in the winter of 2008 and the England Lions tour to New Zealand in early 2009.

Once again, the domestic summer of 2009 was interrupted by a three-week spell on the sidelines with his second side strain in as many seasons.

But he still managed to impress with 38 Championship wickets from eleven matches at an average of 29.42, including a career best match haul of 10-95 from 45.4 overs against Worcestershire at New Road in May.

He later added a career best innings haul of 6-30 from 14 overs in the defeat against Durham at the Riverside in June in front of England selector James Whittaker.

The announcement of his recall to the one-day fold in October, 2009 proved that he had impressed enough.

Graham Hardcastle
(c) Lancashire County Cricket Club Ltd
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