London: Forgotten England bowler Sajid Mahmood believes he can be an Ashes winner this summer by providing the Test cutting edge Andrew Strauss's team is desperately missing.
The 27-year-old gets an early opportunity to make his case when he plays for the MCC against county champions Durham at Lord's in the traditional county season opener from Thursday.
"My pace is there and the consistency is getting better all the time. I am a lot more streetwise and stronger both mentally and physically," said Mahmood who has been overlooked by the selectors for two years.
"The Ashes might just be around the corner but I am not too far away from it. I think everyone will see a slightly different me, someone who can hit an area consistently. I have been working pretty hard on it, and I will be pretty disappointed if I can't do it this year."
Mahmood played eight Tests and 25 one-day internationals before being dumped after the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.But England's dismal Test winter against India and West Indies, where their bowlers failed to take 20 wickets in any match, has shifted the focus onto hopefuls like Mahmood to deliver against Ricky Ponting's Australia.
"When I first went in for England, I was a little bit young, I had not really played too much cricket," said Mahmood.
"To go and play in places like Australia, against some of the best players in the world, you learn a lot about your game.
"I learnt a lot from the Ashes tour: playing against the best team in the world at that time in their own backyard was brilliant for me.
"Subsequently, being left out and realising why I had been left out - mainly my consistency, as everyone knows - has made me go back and work really hard."
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - AFP)