And here he was, at Lord’s, the floodlights beaming off his green Oval Invincibles kit, in front of 28,860 fans who had sacrificed their Sunday night to be here, and countless others watching from afar, and he delivered a performance that made him the player of the match. A reintroduction on the big stage. A comeback for a player who has been here for years.
At this point a timeout was called. But any feeling that the excitement had been taken out of the game was dashed by an inswinger which – after a hopeful review – confirmed a four-ball duck. Mahmood has waited long enough for nights like this. What’s another five minutes? Just like that, the most feared finisher in the competition was done for.
Billings’ post-match assessment was spot on: “You’ve got one of the best players that ever played the game and you’ve finished him off.” Evans was taken down again two balls later, one that was relatively innocuous – he was pushed high to cover, accompanied by an audible groan at the stump microphone – but which bore the hallmarks of a batsman wary of the phase he was in and the situation the bowler had created.
Invincibles signed him in 2021 after his legendary contract with Manchester Originals – his “home” club – was downgraded when Covid postponed the Hundred’s inaugural season in 2020. At £60,000, he wasn’t cheap and perhaps a more intransigent organisation would have let him go. Mahmood was under contract at Lancashire and was being looked after by the ECB on a number of fast-bowling and development contracts. He didn’t need Invincibles as a third parent.
But in south London they will tell you that “consistency breeds confidence”, even for a team that is really only a team one month out of the year. And they did not see Mahmood’s presence on their balance sheet as a hindrance, which was as much to do with the person as the player. “The ability to turn the momentum around, the ability and the man… it was a pretty easy decision to go with him,” said Billings, a statement Mahmood was quick to thank him for.
“The boys have two (titles), but at least I have my own,” Mahmood added, emotional enough to view the travails of the past two years as “a bit of a blur” even though those periods must have felt like hell.
“When you watch the guys get promoted last year, you want to be there. When you’re working hard and trying to get back on the pitch, you need days like this.”
“I saw that last year and missed other things like England tours, World Cups and things like that. Those are the kinds of occasions you want to be a part of. And yes, I’m glad I was there today.”
Not surprisingly, Mahmood didn’t talk about what will happen next. Cricketers are superstitious types, but a fast bowler can be forgiven for believing in bad luck after two back injuries. But with the match hero medal and winner’s medal clinking around his neck, beneath a broad smile and eyes doing their best to hold back tears, he allowed himself to think aloud about how he could get back to where he once was.
He expects to play Championship cricket later this week when Lancashire play Surrey at his adopted home ground. He also has his eye on success in the T20 Blast, but could not resist talking about a return to the top. “(I’ve) also got my eye on the England series against Australia.”
There is every chance of that happening. Not only because this white-ball commitment marks the end of England’s Test series against Sri Lanka, but because, as was evident on Sunday evening, his quality has not diminished.
At 27, he’s young enough to conquer all corners of the game, but he’s got enough experience to know that none of them are a given. But now, having faced the darkness, Mahmood seems ready to shine brighter than ever.
Vithushan Ehantharajah is Associate Editor of ESPNcricinfo.
