After making his Test debut for England in March against the West Indies, Saqib Mahmood was riding high and looking forward to a busy summer.
The 25-year-old had impressed in the Caribbean, picking up six wickets at 22.83 on largely flat pitches, and looked set to be involved in England's new era under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. Stokes had been particularly impressed by Mahmood's performances against the West Indies and had spoken to him about the role he wanted him to play in the Test team moving forward.
However, his hopes were soon dashed after he suffered a stress fracture of the back in his first County Championship game of the season against Gloucestershire. The injury ruled him out for the entire summer, but could have been so much worse after he was misdiagnosed.
