ONCE upon a time, Shahid Mahmood might have cursed a scoreboard that showed Pakistan all out for 119. Yesterday, from high in the members’ area, he looked down with paternal approval. His allegiance is now firmly with England and Sajid, his son, had helped to dismiss one of the best batting teams in the world in less than two sessions.

“It is a special day to see him play for his country on his home ground,” Shahid said. “I know he is thrilled and for me it is an absolute privilege to be here.” Also present was Amir Khan, the Olympic silver medal-winning boxer who is Sajid’s first cousin and a nephew of Shahid. Khan, too, was behind England.

A police constable in Bolton, Shahid suffered an eye injury on a riot training day four years ago, which means he struggles to sit outside when the light is intense. “I cannot be with Sajid as much as I would like,” he said. “I find it easier to watch on television, but I don’t want him to think I am discouraging him by not being here.”

Sajid said on Tuesday that his parents arrived in England 26 years ago. In fact, Shahid came as a ten-year-old with his own father, Lall Khan, as far back as 1967. “Sajid must have been guessing,” Shahid said. “My father brought me over and the rest of the family followed in 1970. Those three years were a struggle. We did not have any English.”

Far from being uninterested in cricket, as Sajid also said, Shahid played for British Aerospace and West Bolton in the leagues. He was a medium-pace swing bowler. At about 5ft 6in — eight inches shorter than Sajid — he found none of his son’s bounce.

He remembers when Norman Tebbit made his famous speech about nationality, pointing to the stands at grounds where English-born Asians would fly the Pakistan flag. Prompted by his son’s progress, Shahid has strong views on the matter of allegiance, although he cannot recall a precise moment when he consciously changed sides.

“I never told Sajid to support Pakistan,” he said. “Because I was behind them at the time when he was young, he probably thought he should do the same. But for the ten or 12 years my kids have been playing, I have supported them and their teams. Yes, support Pakistan against Australia or anybody else, but not against England.

“It is 40 years since I left Pakistan and I have been back for maybe four months in all of that time. To be honest, I thought Tebbit was right. There were lots of discussions with friends. You have a culture which you do not forget but when you move to a new house, it is your new home. You adapt. England is now my home.”

Shahid’s one regret yesterday was the absence of musical instruments and flags, which are banned. Not that those restrictions cooled his pride. “I hoped from the moment Sajid broke into the Lancashire junior teams that he might make it,” he said.

“He has not had many opportunities to bat for Lancashire but, give him a couple of years, and I reckon he will be a very good all-rounder. And look out for his youngest brother, Rakeb. He is 18 and opens the batting and bowling for his club, Astley Bridge.” There speaks a true father.