RajaZahid

Zahid Mahmood is a Pakistani cricketer who represents Southern Punjab. He competes at the international level for the Pakistan national cricket team.

Early life and education

Zahid Mahmood was born on 20 March 1988 in Dadu. His father worked as a government employee for NADRA before he retired. The cricketer attended Ustad Bukhari Degree College in Dadu, Sindh, to complete his early schooling. He later pursued higher studies at the University of Sindh. This institution granted him a degree in physical education.

Career

Mahmood began his domestic career with Hyderabad during the 2009–10 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He made his first-class debut on 9 November 2009. During his first innings, he recorded a duck, but he finished the second innings with 16 not out. His debut season concluded with a total of 29 runs and 4 wickets from 3 matches. He also debuted in List A cricket for Hyderabad during the same 2009–10 season by taking 2 wickets.

In September 2019, Southern Punjab selected him for their squad for the 2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He reached a significant milestone in October 2020 when he took his 100th first-class wicket. This achievement occurred during the first round of the 2020–21 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches. During that specific game, he also secured his first ten-wicket match haul.

His international journey started in January 2021 when he joined Pakistan's T20I squad for a series against South Africa. He made his T20I debut on 14 February 2021 against the same opponent. The Pakistan cricket board continued to call him for various series throughout 2021. He was selected for the Test squads against Zimbabwe in March and the West Indies in June. In September 2021, he joined the ODI squad for matches against New Zealand.

Mahmood traveled with the Pakistan Shaheens during their tour of Sri Lanka in October 2021. He received further Test call-ups for series against Bangladesh in November 2021 and Australia in February 2022. The selectors added him to the limited overs squad for the Australian matches the following month. He officially made his ODI debut on 29 March 2022 against Australia. He eventually reached the Test level when he debuted against England in December 2022.

Awards and recognition

The cricketer received recognition for his domestic performances in late 2020. He was shortlisted as one of the Domestic Cricketers of the Year for the 2020 PCB Awards. This honor followed his successful season with Southern Punjab.