Ashes snub put me in foul Mood
SAQIB: DROP TO LIONS WAS KICK IN THE TEETH
From in Barbados SAQIB MAHMOOD admitted he is still nursing bruises from his winter Ashes snub.
Defending 30 in the last over of the second T20 international with the West Indies a week ago today, the England seamer was on the end of a mauling after going for 28 including three sixes off his last three balls.
But while that left his pride a little dented, Mahmood said that was nothing compared to the disappointmentof being left out of the touring party for Australia.
He said: “Obviously it’s never nice to go for runs as a bowler. You’ve got to come to terms with the fact that some days you will go around the park. “That’s just the way it goes. “Hopefully I get the chance to make up for it and show when it comes down to the death I can execute.
“But the margins for error at this level are very small.”
Selection calls can be similarly tight and after getting to the fringes of the Test squad last summer Mahmood is still simmering over the fact he missed out on selection for the squad led by Joe Root (left).
“I had a side injury at the end of the season and was told my fitness – trying to potentially play five Test matches – was one of the things which impacted my selection,” Mahmood added.
“I’ve got my views on that but that was one thing. I wanted to go out and prove my fitness and I played in the England v Lions game, bowled 30 or 40 overs and felt fit.
“Being dropped back down to the development squad of the Lions after that was a challenge because I’ve been around the England squad for the last two or three years.
“All of a sudden the England boys are training together and you’re in the Lions.
“Even so I just wanted to keep my head down, work hard and try to get into that squad – that was my motivation.
“But I did find it quite challenging given the Lions guys are seen as a development thing and you get treated like that.
“I did have to speak to
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someone and say, ‘Look I could potentially make the squad here and have to get my head around potentially playing so don’t talk to me about development’.
“But it is what it is – that’s gone, there’s no point dwelling over it – and now there’s a lot of cricket to look forward to now.”
Mahmood is hoping to force the selector’s hands for the tour back here in March.
And he should be under serious consideration by the powers that be, but before then, he has the conclusion of this T20 series to focus on.
And if he is charged with bowling at the death again he insists he will carry no scars from that experience. He said. “When they need that many runs and have nothing to lose they are literally swinging for every ball.
“But as a bowler you judge yourself against the required rate at the time and how many runs you go for. You could argue 28 was below the required rate!”