London
Saqib Mahmood believes he is capable of being an express paceman and credited former England seamer Darren Gough with bringing him out of a lull after underwhelming on the speed gun during last year’s tour of New Zealand.
Mahmood had been regularly clocked at 90mph for Lancashire but was unable to replicate those speeds for England in three Twenty20s against the Kiwis in November, when he took only three wickets and had an eye-watering economy rate of 11.5.
Gough, though, was a transcendent figure on Mahmood after linking up with the England squad as a fast bowling consultant for a couple of weeks before the Test series which followed against the Black Caps.
Mahmood now has another opportunity to impress during the limited-overs series against South Africa – although he missed England’s first practice session in Paarl on Thursday after feeling unwell.
While he is unlikely to feature in their first 50-over warm-up against a South Africa Invitation XI on Friday, if given the nod to face the Proteas next month, Mahmood intends to stick to what got him selected in the first place.
And bowling fast remains a key weapon in his armoury as he said prior to his departure to South Africa: “Speed is definitely important and it’s something that can set me apart from a lot of guys in county cricket.—AP
