Saqib Mahmood, the 27-year-old fast bowler, has signed a three-year white-ball contract with Lancashire but remains determined to make a return to England's Test cricket setup. Mahmood, who made his Test debut in 2022, has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons, including back-to-back stress fractures. Despite these setbacks, Mahmood is optimistic about his future in red-ball cricket while committing to Lancashire for the upcoming Vitality Blast campaigns.

Mahmood first appeared for England in Test cricket during the tour of the West Indies in March 2022. In his two Test appearances, he claimed six wickets at an average of 22.83. However, the fast bowler has struggled with injuries, missing large portions of the last two seasons due to consecutive stress fractures in his back, sustained in 2022 and 2023. As a result, Mahmood has been absent from Lancashire’s first-class side since a wicketless outing against Durham in May.

Though his first-class cricket absence has been prolonged, Mahmood made a triumphant return to competitive cricket in England’s T20 International (T20I) series against Australia last month. He regained his form in The Hundred earlier this summer, delivering a match-winning performance of 3 for 17 for the Oval Invincibles in the Men's Hundred final against Southern Brave in August, signaling his return to peak fitness.

This summer, Mahmood played nine matches in the Vitality Blast, collecting 12 wickets and helping Lancashire progress to the quarter-finals. His strong white-ball form earned him a recall to England's squad for the upcoming white-ball tour of the Caribbean. While primarily focused on white-ball cricket, Mahmood remains committed to pursuing a Test cricket future, a challenge that excites him despite the ongoing obstacles.

“2022 and 2023 were both difficult years for me injury-wise, but it was brilliant to get through this summer fully fit. I’d like to thank the medical team at Lancashire for their hard work throughout this period, and having their continued support was a key factor in signing this new contract,” Mahmood said, acknowledging the role his recovery team played in his return.

Mahmood's new contract with Lancashire is focused on white-ball cricket but contains options for him to return to first-class matches, schedule and fitness permitting. These options could allow him to stake a claim for an England Test recall. Despite the new contract’s emphasis on T20 cricket, Mahmood is not ruling out a return to red-ball cricket for both Lancashire and England.

“While this is a white-ball contract, I still have an ambition to play red-ball cricket for England again and for Lancashire in the County Championship, which is still the biggest test of skill and fitness outside of Test match cricket,” Mahmood said. “There are options within this contract for that to happen.”

Mark Chilton, Lancashire’s director of cricket performance, welcomed Mahmood's contract extension and emphasized that the agreement would allow better management of Mahmood’s availability for Lancashire's Blast fixtures, while also acknowledging the fast bowler’s potential involvement in overseas franchise tournaments.

“In the ever-changing landscape of cricket, this contract allows greater control over Saqib’s availability during the Vitality Blast blocks in the summer,” Chilton said. “This is something we will work closely with Saqib on, particularly around his franchise commitments, which may include the PSL in the early part of next season.”

Chilton praised Mahmood’s perseverance and return to form after his injury setbacks, stating, “Following a tough few years for Saqib, with two stress fractures of the back, it was great to see him back on the park this summer performing for us in the Vitality Blast before earning a well-deserved England recall.”

Mahmood, a product of Lancashire's academy system, has been with the county since joining in 2012 at the age of 15. He made his senior debut in 2015 and was awarded his Lancashire county cap in 2021.

The fast bowler's deal with Lancashire, while focused on white-ball cricket, does not completely exclude him from being part of England’s Test bowling stable, which Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, is keen to expand for next year’s Ashes tour. However, Mahmood’s injury history raises the question of whether his future may lie more with the T20 franchise circuit, where demand and lucrative opportunities abound.

The increasing overlap of franchise T20 competitions with the English season poses a challenge for county sides, as players balance commitments to their clubs and international duties with the attraction of global T20 tournaments. Mahmood’s situation is emblematic of this broader issue facing English cricket.

Richard Gould, the ECB's chief executive, spoke about this challenge during a recent media interaction in Multan. He highlighted the concerns raised by Lancashire's CEO, Daniel Gidney, regarding the dilution of county contracts due to the expanding franchise circuit.

“We are certainly hearing from our clubs and our members that we need to control things a little bit,” Gould said. “Last year there were 74 English players, men, that played in franchise tournaments around the world. The next best was Pakistan with 45. It’s great that we’ve got them out there playing, but we have to protect what we’ve got."

Gould added that the ECB is in discussions about providing added protections for county cricket, which could include a more rigorous approach to the issuance of No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) for players participating in overseas franchise tournaments.

“I do think there will be added protections that come in,” Gould said. “We’re having discussions, and I saw that Lancashire made some comments a couple of weeks ago. We have to be proud of what we’ve got and protect it.”

Mahmood’s journey from Test cricket hopeful to white-ball specialist remains ongoing, but his commitment to Lancashire and his ambition to return to the Test stage reflect his determination to overcome the challenges posed by injury and the evolving landscape of the game.