Saqib Mahmood in line for first-team return against Nottinghamshire

Mahmood has spent much of the past two seasons on the sidelines with a lumbar stress fracture. Head coach Dale Benkenstein also provided updates on a number of other Lancashire bowlers

Saqib Mahmood is in line to make his return to first-team action during Lancashire's County Championship match against Nottinghamshire, which is scheduled to begin at Trent Bridge on May 10.

Mahmood has spent much of the past two years on the sidelines, playing just nine matches across first-class, List A and T20 cricket after suffering a lumbar stress fracture in May 2022 and a reoccurrence of the same injury midway through last summer.

The latter injury was influenced in part by Mahmood rushing back to first-team cricket in the hope of earning a place in England's Ashes squad, prompting him to take a more cautious approach to his recovery second time round.

Speaking in April, he confirmed he had returned to "100 per cent" during Lancashire's pre-season tour of Dubai and hoped to be in contention for selection in May. He has spent the past month building up his workloads in the second team.

Related: County Championship Division One roundup: Daniel Bell-Drummond leads Kent to victory

^{Mahmood has missed much of the past two years with injury [Harry Trump/Getty Images]}

^{Benkenstein expects Nottinghamshire to be Hartley's last game but believes Wood could return against Warwickshire [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]}

"We will have Saqib Mahmood back [to] give us a bit of firepower and quality," Lancashire head coach, Dale Benkenstein, confirmed following his side's seven-wicket defeat to Kent. Mahmood has taken 83 wickets at 29.07 in 30 first-class appearances.

Benkenstein expects the Nottinghamshire game to be Tom Hartley's final outing before he links up with England for the Pakistan white-ball series and T20 World Cup.

A call on Nathan Lyon, who is only able to play seven of the first nine Championship matches at the request of Cricket Australia, will be made once they have seen the pitch at Trent Bridge.

Benkenstein also provided an update on Lancashire's other absent bowlers, a list which includes Mitchell Stanley (injury), Luke Wood (IPL) and James Anderson.

"Mitch is not going to be available for red-ball cricket," Benkenstein said.

"We've got Woody at the IPL who may be coming back. There's a likelihood he might be available for the Warwickshire game (May 24).

"And we've got Jimmy, who'll pick and choose which games he wants to get ready for the Test series, but that may be in the T20 block.

"It is nice to know we have quality coming in, but it's more about getting the players we've got now playing at their best."

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