![]() I want to equal what he's achieved by cementing my place in the England team and getting on the plane for the Ashes tour of Australia. SM: Nowadays, I try to feed off Amir's success. It's the same if we played cricket: he wouldn't bowl 90mph at me. That was it I hung up my gloves after that.ĪK: If we were messing around in the gym, I'd never take advantage of Saj. We were just messing around in the living room and he clocked me one. SM: Did we box? I sparred with Amir when I was 14. Amir was pretty good at slogging.ĪK: I didn't mind batting or even bowling, but it's the fielding I don't like. SM: We played a lot of cricket in the streets. It wasn't a bad neighbourhood, but it could get a bit rough every now and again. They kept their eye on us and gave us a lot of help, kept us out of trouble and put us on the right track. We were brought up well - that's down to our parents. If we'd done anything wrong and our family had found out, we'd have been getting a slap on the hand. SM: We didn't get into mischief, as we weren't really ones for hanging around on street corners. Saj is older so he did have his older mates, but we still used to hang out. I had my brother and two sisters, while Saj has two brothers and a sister.ĪK: We chilled out, went to the cinema, went go-karting, hung out on our bikes. SM: We lived about a minute's walk away in Bolton we saw each other all the time.ĪK: If I'd wanted to I could have run to his house in about 15 seconds. How close together did you live growing up? ![]() ![]() For Mahmood it must be odd to watch his younger cousin being received with such wonder and adulation. 'It's all quite mad,' he says, politely waving to the gathering crowd. It's a similar scene when Khan is photographed behind Moods, the takeaway restaurant opened by Saj Mahmood's mother in January. The lights change and we are off, leaving the girl to inspect the faint scribbles on her arm. Khan attempts to scrawl his name on one young girl's skin, but the pen is not so obliging. 'Oh, my God,' they scream, as they bash on the window, offering arms to be autographed. We stop at traffic lights and a group of schoolgirls notice the young boxer. Later, we are driven across town in a silver Range Rover by another family member, Tahir, who works as their agent. Then, when they venture into the playground, they are mobbed. Dressed in jeans and T-shirts, they talk to the children about the influence of their parents on their sporting lives and the need for discipline. These are exciting times for the talented cousins - Mahmood impressed in his first Test, taking three wickets in his opening four overs against Sri Lanka, while Khan is preparing for his eighth professional fight. He wants the gym to be opened up for local children 'to get them off the streets'. He urges them to 'get down the gym', then talks animatedly about the plans for the gym he is having built in Bolton. ![]() 'Are you guys going to play on the railways?' Khan asks the children. It's obvious who the dominant character is, despite the age gap. Mahmood, who is five years older and made his Test debut in May, is more reserved and hesitant. Already a veteran of these publicity stunts at the age of only 19, Khan moves with a confident swagger.
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