County Championship | I turned down an IPL offer to play for Lancashire - Saqib Mahmood

England pacer Saqib Mahmood has made a stunning revelation, disclosing that he rejected an IPL contract to focus on his Test dreams. 

The speedster made his Test debut for England in March against the West Indies. Although the Three Lions suffered another series defeat, Saqid was their third-highest wicket-taker with six scalps despite playing only two of the three matches.

Looking at his decent white-ball numbers, an IPL franchise offered Saqid a contract but the 25-year-old chose to feature in the County Championship and push his ‘red ball credentials’.

"I turned down an IPL offer just to be here playing for Lancashire and try to push my red-ball credentials," Mahmood said as quoted by Planet Sport.

"I got an offer while we were out in the Caribbean, and it was a decision I had to make. I spoke to a couple of the guys around me and felt as though it was in my best interests at the moment to focus on red-ball cricket," he added.

Mahmood decided after having a chat with Ben Stokes, who incidentally opted out of the IPL 2022, to prioritise playing Test cricket for England.

"That was my choice. It was funny because it came from a conversation I had with Stokesy over breakfast one morning. I got talking to him about why he didn't go to the IPL, and he said he wanted to prioritise red-ball cricket and be a part of the squad moving forward.

"It was that same day that I got a call - a coincidence in timing, but for me, the timing of that call was great. I had left that morning having had a chat with Stokesy, who would earn millions in the IPL but wanted to push this team forward.

"I have that drive as well to try and be a part of that Test team and try to push that forward over the next few months," Saqib revealed.