Saj jets out to India for bowling masterclass

6:37am Monday 4th February 2008

Sajid Mahmood flies to India today for a 10-day bowling camp that will be run by former England fast bowling coach Kevin Shine.

The Lancashire pace ace, pictured, is battling back to full fitness after a stress fracture of his left shin - and he says bowling outside will be the perfect remedy.

"I am back bowling indoors at Old Trafford at around about 40-50 percent intensity," explained the former Astley Bridge and Egerton man. "I have been doing lots of fitness work, and I feel really good. I will up my bowling to around 50 or 60 per cent in India because it is always easier bowling outdoors.

"There is a lot more give in outdoor conditions than indoor, so hopefully there won't be any side effects."

The 26-year-old is expecting to be joined in Madras by Kent's Amjad Khan and some younger county players, who will also be under the supervision of Durham's veteran seamer Neil Killeen. He is not entirely sure how the camp will be structured, but said: "It should be really good for me.

"The one thing that I have been able to do while easing my way back into bowling is work on my consistency.

"I have had cones down to try to help me hit the right areas - and hopefully I should be confident when I start to increase my pace.

"I felt that my consistency was there in the latter half of last season.

"I want to try to improve on that even further.

It is widely acknowledged that India is one of the hardest places in the world to bowl fast.

So Mahmood is quite rightly hoping that he can master sub continent conditions, no matter what stage of rehab he is at, to give him an edge for Lancashire's pre-season tour of the UAE and then the start of the county season.

"It is always better to bowl in the hardest conditions because it gives you the confidence to bowl anywhere," he continued.

"Sharjah and Abu Dhabi are very much like India - the wickets over there are slow and flat.

"If I can do well there, then I should be in good shape for the start of our season in April."

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