Shah stars for Middlesex

Middlesex batsman Owais Shah issued a poignant reminder of his abilities to the England selectors with a stylish 159 in the London derby against Surrey at Lord’s.

Shah, omitted this week from both England’s Ashes warm-up match against Warwickshire and the England Lions’ showdown against Australia at New Road, dominated the opening day of the LV= County Championship Second Division fixture to put Middlesex in control on 269 for five.

The 30-year old was playing only his third first-class innings of the season, having opted to join the Indian Premier League in April and May and then featuring in England’s NatWest Series win over West Indies and their ICC World Twenty20 campaign.

He was in today as early as the seventh over, when Nick Compton was lbw to Andre Nel for two, and for the rest of the morning session Shah played almost a lone hand as Billy Godleman struggled to find any sort of form.

At lunch, after 29 overs, Godleman had just 14 runs. He had been dropped at second slip on seven and was later reprieved on 28 when wicketkeeper Jon Batty fluffed a leg-side stumping off medium-pacer Stewart Walters.

Owais Shah fell late on the opening day of the championship clash at Lord's after making a superb 159 for Middlesex

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It took Godleman 90 minutes to reach double figures and, although he battled his way to a season’s best of 48, it was something of a mercy when Shah sent him back shortly before tea as he sought a sharp single into the off side. Godleman was beaten by Walters’ throw, having faced 200 balls in more than four hours.

A dry, sluggish surface, which had been used for a Twenty20 Cup match, did not make strokeplay a straightforward affair but Shah put the conditions into perspective by warming up with a magnificent off-drive and whip off the hip for fours off Alex Tudor, making his first championship appearance this summer.

He greeted Simon King’s introduction into the attack just before lunch by square-driving the 21-year-old off-spinner’s first ball for four, although King – on his first-class debut – went on to bowl as tidily as the rest of the Surrey attack as they sought to contain Shah and chip away at the other end.

Neil Dexter hit three boundaries but then holed out at mid-on, and two Shah pulls for four – well in front of square – off pace bowler Chris Jordan were strokes of real authority.

He had eased his way to 159 out of a total of 259 when he played defensively off the back foot and edged the deserving Nel – bowling the ninth over with the second new ball and the 93rd of a long, hot day – to second slip.

He had faced 252 balls and hit 23 fours in a masterly innings spanning five and a half hours.

Steve Finn, the nightwatchman, fell to Jordan in the final over, but Dawid Malan closed on 32 not out and Middlesex will hope to build significantly on Shah’s effort on the second day.