sajid mahmood

Born: 21.12.1981
County: Lancashire
Tests: 8
Role: Bowler
Bat: Right-hand
Bowl: Right-hand fast-medium
Bat Average: 8.10
Bowl Average: 38.10

Sajid Mahmood is a tall bowler capable of bowling genuinely fast and reversing the older ball.

He was working as a supermarket shelf-stacker when Lancashire plucked him from the Bolton Leagues in 2002, and a year later he was on an England A tour to India and Malaysia despite having just six first-class wickets to his name.

He impressed in unhelpful conditions and was soon knocking on the door of the senior team.

His first taste of international cricket was one to forget, taking none for 56 from eight overs in a one-dayer against New Zealand.

But two years later Mahmood earned Test recognition, and ripped out three Sri Lankan wickets in an explosive first spell.

He has struggled for consistency in his early days as a Test bowler, but his good spells are very, very good, and he seems to have edged ahead of Liam Plunkett and James Anderson in the chase for the fourth fast-bowling spot after playing in five of the seven Tests in the last English summer.

Mahmood has worked hard with the England coaching set-up to improve the position of his wrist at the point of delivery, and there were signs towards the end of the summer this work was yielding results, with the speed gun regularly clocking over 90mph.

Whether he is ready for an Ashes campaign remains to be seen but, unless England decide to field two spinners, he looks certain to get his chance.