England captain Joe Root has shown his faith in the young pace bowler, Saqib Mahmood, for doing a great job if he is handed a Test debut in the third Test at Headingley against India on Wednesday. While the pace bowler Mark Wood has been ruled out of the third Test due to a shoulder problem, Mahmood is all set to make his debut for England as well.
While speaking about Mahmood’s potential Test debut, Joe Root shared at a virtual press conference: “I feel Saqib Mahmood couldn’t be in a better place to potentially play Test cricket. You look at how he has progressed over the last couple of years across all the formats. The opportunities he has taken this year when given, he’s been exceptional and a standout bowler.”
READ HERE: Shaun Tait explains why speedsters struggle to bowl 150+kmph
Joe Root further added: “He came out at the back of that one-day series (against Pakistan) as probably the most experienced player and the go-to seamer that Ben (Stokes) went to under pressure. It just shows how far he has come and it is great to see that strength and depth and him developing over a period of time as he has done now.”
Notably, Mahmood was the highest wicket-taker in the three-match ODI series against Pakistan as England won the series by 3-0. He also picked up nine scalps which came at an average of 13.67. While speaking about Wood’s constant injury issues, Joe Root said that it was definitely a frustrating situation which the team will have to deal with as well.
He again said: “Yeah, it is frustrating for Mark (Wood) and us as a side as well. I thought he bowled really well, especially in that second innings (at Lord’s). He gives us a real point of difference with his added pace and seems to be really good when playing. There’s frustration for him more than for anyone else. But we have to deal with it.”
READ HERE: Aakash Chopra opens up on New Zealand’s T20 World Cup squad
“Dawid Malan will offer us a lot of experience in that top three, not necessarily in terms of international experience in Test cricket. But he has played a huge amount of international cricket, he has dealt with pressure and he has played red-ball cricket over the course of his career and he has had great success. We know he is capable of big things in Test cricket,” Joe Root concluded.
