England star indebted to Azharuddin

He changed some things about my game, just little things, such as getting more side-on with my stance. Since then I’ve been much more consistent. I’ve always scored hundreds, even big ones, but now I’ve got the consistency I always wanted. Meeting him was the turning point

Who is Owais Shah

At 27, Owais Shah is a stylish and classical Pakistan-born England batsman who seemed to have the world at his feet as a teenager. Compared in style an ability to a young Mark Ramprakash, he now appears to have suffered a similar fate of being dismissed by the national selectors, although unlike Ramprakash, without ever having had a chance in the Test side.

Playing for Middlesex, Shah has been the highest run-getter in their first class cricket this season.

What has he done

Team: Middlesex

Style: Right-hand bat

Born: 22 October, 1978, Karachi, Pakistan

Last season: Shah scored 1,336 first-class runs at 53.33.

This season: He scored 1,656 at an average of 69, with seven centuries and seven other fifties

Current career average: 41.84.

His career

Shah moved from Pakistan to England when he was 15. He got into the England Under-19 side at 16 years of age and made it to the ‘A’ team at 17 years. He first played for Middlesex in 1995, at 16, in one-day cricket and made his championship debut the following year.

Playing for the full England side in 2001, he scored an authoritative 62 against Pakistan at Lord’s in the NatWest Series. He was voted, then, as England’s Young Player of the Year. But Shah’s 15 caps, thereafter, brought him only 283 runs and a weak average of 21.76.

But one regret

Unlike Azhar, Shah is a poor fielder and this has seen him losing the vice-captaincy for Middlesex. Maybe, Azhar just gave him batting lessons.