'I’m trying to nail my place' - Saqib Mahmood talks about his England spot after impressive performance against India

Fast bowler Saqib Mahmood talked about the fringe nature of his place in the England side and how he wants to change that going forward. This comes after a stellar performance on his return to the national team during the first T20I against India at Chester-le-Street.

The Lancashire seamer was England's best bowler in the evening, taking three wickets, including the crucial scalps of opener Sanju Samson and India captain Shreyas Iyer. The game, however, yielded no result after rain spoiled the occasion following the conclusion of the first innings.

Mahmood said he aims to make his place in the side more permanent following setbacks due to form and injuries. The 29-year-old revealed that he had a chat with Managing Director Rob Key, where they talked about his strengths and role in the side going forward. The right-arm seamer will want to maintain his current position as a wicket-taking bowler in the powerplay, something he did to good effect against India in Durham.

“I’ve been involved with England stuff for a long time and it still feels like I’m trying to nail my place down. I feel like when I do get my chance and a bit of a run, I do perform and it’s the same now. I had a good chat with Keysy around the World Cup stuff, he told me where he viewed me and talked about strengths of mine and how that fits in with the team, especially as a new-ball bowler. My strength is powerplay bowling and moving the new ball, so for me (the challenge) was doubling down on that and making sure that part of my game is right," Saqib Mahmood was quoted as saying on The Independent. 

It is worth mentioning that Mahmood last played for England all the way back in 2025, when he featured in a solitary T20I against the Men in Blue at Pune. He picked up a knee injury towards the end of the summer last year, which prevented him from travelling to Ireland and New Zealand for white-ball tours, which ultimately cost him a place in the squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup.