Match abandoned
India 189 for 7 (Shreyas 68, Abhishek 59, Mahmood 3-33) vs England

Mahmood’s first international wicket in over a year, bowling in the second over, heaped yet more misery on Sanju Samson, whose last three scores for India now read 5, 0, 1. He was caught brilliantly by Tom Banton at backward point. Samson has had a tough first week in the UK. At the end of the same over, Ishan Kishan was run out – for the second innings in succession – and India were reeling at 6 for 2.

The India team’s Belfast travails, as a whole, suddenly looked to have transferred over the Irish Sea and across to Chester-le-Street. But Abhishek Sharma’s brutal 59 off 24 deliveries – the half-century taking just 20 to bring up – made up for lost time in the Powerplay, eventually departing with India a much healthier 88 for 3 after 8.2 overs. Sam Curran dismissed the 25-year-old LBW with a well-directed leg cutter.

Shreyas had been in Abhishek’s slipstream for a 38-ball stand of 82, and was able to cash in a fifty of his own off 38. He similarly handed over to Shivam Dube, whose 42 at a strike rate of 200 added some much-needed impetus at the back end.

At the halfway stage, the middle of India’s innings – when they scored 77 from 57 deliveries, between the dismissals of Abhishek and Shreyas – contributed heavily in setting England 190. It looked like an eminently gettable target. However, the persistent rain of the first innings morphed into something far heavier in the break before the players had even left the field.

Saqib’s salvo

It was a show of faith from the ECB when they handed Saqib Mahmood a 12-month deal in the latest tranche of central contracts.

At the time, Mahmood was recovering from left knee surgery. Desperate to not cause a fuss, he played through the pain at the back end of the 2025 summer, including an ODI against South Africa at Lord’s – his last cap for England before this appearance in Durham. Figures of 0 for 53 came with the nod that an operation was required.

The 28-year old was subsequently pulled out of the Ireland T20I tour and, more jarringly for his coffers, had to forgo a gig in the SA20 with Pretoria Capitals. He also missed out on pushing for England’s T20 World Cup campaign at the start of the year.

A return with England Lions, and Lancashire’s pre-season tour – where he bowled with the red ball – was a welcome return to training ahead of the summer. Likewise, a lucrative £150,000 deal was signed with Birmingham Phoenix.

In his first England appearance since September here, Mahmood emerged with important wickets, spread across the start, middle and end of the innings. After snaring Samson with his fourth legal delivery of his spell, he trapped Shreyas’s LBW with a delivery moving later into the well-set batter, and finally Tilak Varma, albeit with a low full toss.

It certainly did not all go Mahmood’s way. He bore the brunt of Abhishek’s initial burst, carted for three boundaries in a row by the India batter, with the last two pumped over the square leg fence after the seamer opted to go short. His second over, the fourth of the innings, eventually went for 21. Two wickets and 11 runs from his final two overs covered that burst to an extent.

It remains to be seen where he sits in the bowling pecking order, in T20s and also ODIs. Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue were rested from this contest, because of their participation in the recent Test series against New Zealand. Sonny Baker was unused two weeks after he made his Test debut, and Brydon Carse is returning from a wrist injury. Matthew Potts also has a central contract and is considered an option across all formats.

Nevertheless, Mahmood’s 39th international appearance was one to savour, and a welcome bright spot for him personally, even amid the rain.