Saqib Mahmood

A promising fast bowler, Saqib Mahmood is often compared with Waqar Younis, because of his action, the ability to generate pace, and excellent use of reverse swing. 

A product of Lancashire county, Mahmood was named as the England Development Programme Player of the Year in 2015. He made his Lancashire debut in a T20 game against Derbyshire in 2015. 

A year later, the speedster represented England in the 2016 Under-19 World Cup. He was the standout performer for the English side, finishing with 13 wickets in six games.

Mahmood continued to perform well for Lancashire and his hard work got paid off when the pacer was called up to the England national squad for the T20I series against New Zealand in 2019. He broke into the playing XI for the second game of the series, but was on the expensive side, conceding 46 runs in four overs.

A year later, the Birmingham born was rewarded with an ODI call-up for the series against South Africa in 2020. He played just one match and managed to earn his maiden wicket in that game.

In May 2021, Saqib Mahmood claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket during a County Championship match against Yorkshire. Later, he was signed by the Oval Invincibles for The Hundred in 2022, but a back stress fracture ruled him out for the season. He returned strongly in 2024, helping the Invincibles defend their title with a match-winning spell of 3 for 17 in the final and earned Player of the Final honors.

Mahmood made his Test debut for England in March 2022 against the West Indies but faced repeated injury setbacks, particularly from stress fractures, which limited his international appearances between 2022 and 2023. However, he bounced back during England’s 2024 tour of the West Indies, claiming nine wickets in the T20I series and earning Player of the Series. He also broke the national record for most powerplay wickets in a T20I series, with eight scalps.

In early 2025, Mahmood faced a delay in obtaining an Indian visa due to bureaucratic hurdles but arrived in time for the white-ball series. In the fourth T20I against India, he delivered a remarkable triple-wicket maiden over, dismissing Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, and Suryakumar Yadav—becoming only the second bowler in men's T20I history to achieve this rare feat.

A pacer who can easily clock over 90 mph, Saqib Mahmood is a generational talent who is highly rated in the domestic circuit. Mahmood has to be a little bit more consistent if he wants to break into the England setup for the shorter forms of the game.

(As of April 2025)