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Saqib Mahmood is upbeat despite taking a significant pay cut following the expiry of his England development contract and signing white-ball terms with Lancashire.
A three-year deal with the Red Rose includes a pay-as-you-play clause in the County Championship but is reflective of his availability being compromised by stress fractures in his back in 2022 and 2023.
Having made a heartening return to the international fold in two T20s against Australia last month, the fast bowler insisted his ambition to get back on England’s radar in all three formats is undimmed.
He regards the lucrative T20 franchise circuit, where he is likely to be in demand, as the fallback option but as he approaches the peak years of his career, Mahmood is just eager to be playing.
“I think if I was offered a development, I’d have probably turned it down anyway,” Mahmood told the PA news agency. “With what Lancashire offered me, it wouldn’t make sense to sign a development contract.
“My main aim is to try and play for England, if that central contract comes next year then great.
“Having missed a lot of cricket, I don’t want to be running drinks on, I want to try and make sure I get myself in the England side. I’m 27 now, I don’t want to be sat on the sidelines.
“If you’re not playing for England then you want to be able to play franchise cricket. You play the game for the love of the game but also it’s our way of earning a living.”
If you're not playing for England then you want to be able to play franchise cricket— Saqib Mahmood
Mahmood, who had been on development deals with England since 2020, still envisages Test cricket in his future, having taken six wickets in two games in the West Indies at an impressive 22.83 in March 2022.
He admitted the 2025-26 Ashes is “at the back of my mind” but his next few months will be a diet of white-ball matches, starting back in the Caribbean for what could be regarded as a make-or-break tour.
In the squad to face the Windies in three ODIs from October 31 to November 6, Mahmood will travel to Antigua ahead of the main party this week in an attempt to boost his prospects of playing.
The tour, also including five T20s, is the last assignment before Brendon McCullum becomes overseer of all English cricket and Mahmood wants to make an impression with next year’s Champions Trophy in mind.
“If I don’t do the right things in the Caribbean, I might not even be working with Baz in January,” Mahmood said. “If I get a chance, I want to try and take it.
“I wasn’t in the ODI squad initially this summer and got in through guys being injured; I’m just trying to break in at ODI level and try to stake my claim for the Champions Trophy.
“The more I play cricket, I think I’ll just naturally get back to where I think I’ll be ready and then it’s just if the body is ready to go for red-ball cricket. I’m not thinking about that too much.
“I know I’ve just got to look after my game, if I start focusing too much on other people, there’s a lot of names that can get thrown about.
“The way I’ve always been is focusing on my game, trying to get back to my best in all of the formats and I’d like to think the rest will look after itself.”
:: Saqib Mahmood was speaking at the launch of cinch’s new store in Manchester.
