Saqib Mahmood: England quick on his heroes and responsibility to young British Asian cricketers

Saqib Mahmood's breakout performances for England came in last summer's ODI series win over Pakistan

Saqib Mahmood is reflecting on one of England's strangest ever Twenty20 victories.

He got England over the line - albeit with Akeal Hosein hitting three sixes off the last three balls as the tourists won a match they otherwise dominated by only one run to level the series.

But Mahmood, 24, says he stayed calm amid a crazy finish.

"It was all good," he tells BBC Sport.

"The job was done in the first three balls really when they only scored 10 and after that it was just a case of not giving away any extras.

"He struck three good balls but they were never winning - it just obviously didn't make for great viewing."

Captain Eoin Morgan has said England's development is "more important than a series win" in this tour and Mahmood can view that final over as a crucial learning experience.

All-rounder Moeen Ali said afterwards: "Saqib will learn a lot from that - he'll be thinking about things he can improve on.

"He's got so much talent and you've got to go through this to get better."

Mahmood's talent is undoubted.

His pace - regularly now hitting 90mph or above - is part of the reason England have kept an eye on him since his teenage years and why he is now a regular in the international set-up.

His skill in swinging the new ball and exploiting reverse swing on offer later has landed him T20 franchise contracts in Pakistan and Australia.

Mahmood's impressive recent stint in the Big Bash League for Sydney Thunder included four wickets in his first 11 deliveries on a stunning debut.

The Lancashire fast bowler will be a star if he can emulate his heroes.

"The two quicks I remember watching when I was young were Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee," he says.

"I loved watching them because they'd bowl close to 100mph.

"It was in the 2005 Ashes where I really got a love for the game and I remember Lee was playing, but I also loved watching Simon Jones and Andrew Flintoff and the skill they had.

"Before that I would just watch and play whenever I could, whereas after that, I wanted to get a ball in my hand and try and do what they were doing."

Jones' iconic dismissal of Michael Clarke, with the Australian leaving a ball that knocked over his off-stump, is a particular favourite.

"Whenever I got a wicket in the back garden, I'd tap my head as that was Jones' celebration in that series," adds Mahmood.

Mahmood made his England debut aged 22 in a T20 against New Zealand in Wellington in 2019.

A few months later, the England and Wales Cricket Board awarded Mahmood a pace bowling development contract as part of a new initiative to manage promising young fast bowlers.

He made his one-day international debut against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2020, but it was his performances at home against Pakistan last summer, when a Covid-19 outbreak decimated the original England squad, that signalled he was a world-class talent.

Mahmood took nine wickets and was named player of the series as England completed a remarkable 3-0 clean sweep.

Saqib Mahmood took 28 wickets in eight County Championship matches last season at an average of 23.89

He has a genuine desire to excel in Test cricket too and, after coming close to making his debut in the summer, hopes an opportunity to make his Test debut comes soon.

Mahmood says his friendship with fellow Lancashire bowler and England's record wicket-taker, James Anderson, is "invaluable."

"I can always message him if there's something I need help with," he says.

"There isn't anyone better to have than Jimmy with that sort of stuff."

Amid a particularly harrowing period in English cricket as it tries to tackle racism within the sport, Mahmood is the face of a new generation of British Asian cricketers, following in the footsteps of England team-mates Moeen and Adil Rashid.

While he does not see himself as an inspiration as it stands, Mahmood acknowledges he has a responsibility to the next generation.

"If I can play a part in young British Asian boys and girls wanting to come and play cricket in the future then my responsibilities are to be a good professional in that sense," he says.

"Hopefully that encourages enough people and inspires them to take on the game in the future."

He also hopes the revelation of Azeem Rafiq's experiences of racism at Yorkshire and the wider discussion around equality and diversity that has followed can signal the start of a brighter chapter for English cricket.

"For Asians and ethnic minorities growing up, we should give them the confidence that what's happened is a thing of the past and hopefully things can run more smoothly going forward," he says.

"With just the topic being raised, more people will point out racism if they see it.

"I know a lot of guys now, that if there was any sort of racism going on, without me having to say anything, a lot of guys in this squad would call people up on it. And that's the way it should be."