Saqib Mahmood is a 24-year-old English fast bowler who was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire. His physique and pace have forced England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to keep close tabs on him. He received his maiden England call-up owing to an impressive 2019 season for Lancashire. Apart from being able to move the new ball with a conventional swing, he has also regularly touched the 90mph-mark.

What makes him an exciting addition to any team is his ability to reverse swing the ball later in an innings. The English quick, who was raised in Rochdale, played for England Under-19s when he was 17-year-old. His skills quickly made him a regular as he led the attack with precision in the U19 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2016. In the 2016 edition, he picked up 13 wickets in six matches that he played for England. He was the third-highest wicket-taker in the tournament.

Before he was named in the Lions squad to shadow the Ashes party in Australia, he attended a fast-bowling camp in Potchefstroom to prepare for the 2017 summer.

He missed the following summer due to a side strain. However, he returned to national duty the same winter. In all of this, he missed the series against India A due to a via hold-up that reportedly happened because of his Pakistani heritage.

He was adjudged player of the tournament in the 2019 One-Day Cup as he led the wicket-taking column with 28 scalps. His impeccable form across all formats earned him a call-up to England’s Test and T20 squads for the tour of New Zealand in 2019-20.

He was also named the England Development Programme Cricketer of the year in 2015 and is highly rated in the domestic arena. In his final first-class outing, Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara was sent packing by Mahmood.

Mahmood was named in the England squad for the third Test against India as an injured Stuart Broad made way for him.

The third Test between England and India starts on August 25.