NEWS
Follow UsEngland’s Saqib Mahmood, who did not make the cut for the Ashes despite being seen as someone with the arsenal to be effective on Australian wickets, expressed disappointment over not being picked to play in the Ashes, and claimed that he is currently at a stage in his career where he is desperate to make an impact in matches.
Mahmood, last year, was a part of the Test set-up and was in the squad for the India series as a back-up, but did not make the cut for the Ashes, playing a solitary game for England Lions before plying his trade for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League (BBL).
The 24-year-old revealed that he was told that he will not be considered for the Ashes Tests due to fitness concerns.
“I found it very challenging being with the Lions, just because I've been around the England squad for the last two or three years,” Mahmood told Daily Mail.
“I had a side injury at the end of the season and was told my fitness - trying to potentially play five Test matches - was one of the things which impacted my selection. I've obviously got my views and wanted to go out there and prove my fitness.
“I think you go through phases in your career; you come into this environment and you're happy to be here when you first get here.
“I feel like I'm at the stage now where I don't just want to be here, I want to come in and I want to make an impact and perform. I got a taste of doing that in the summer, feeling like the main guy, really part of the team and contributing all the time - that's where I want to be in all three formats.”
Mahmood is yet to debut in the longest format, but the right-armer is a semi-regular in the white-ball formats, and is currently representing the country in the T20Is against the West Indies.
The 24-year-old, in fact, came under fire earlier this week for conceding 28 runs off the final over in the 2nd T20I whilst defending 30, but he admitted that overs like those are part and parcel of the game, and insisted that he was happy to have done the job by ‘taking one for the team’.
“The margins for error at this level are very small. I was fairly relaxed because the total was 20 off three so I played it safe and just went with length rather than wide yorkers.
“He obviously struck three good balls but they were never winning. The last three balls were just a case of foot behind the line.
“If you saw my reaction, I had a massive smile on my face because I knew what I needed to do.
“It didn't look great for me but at the end of the day whether we win by one run or 10 runs, it's still a win and obviously I just took one for the team a little bit.”