It’s a crime not to pick Shah, says Emburey

Middlesex coach John Emburey has described England’s failure to pick Owais Shah for the tour of Pakistan as ‘criminal’…

Karachi-born Shah has been the leading batsman in English county cricket this summer and Emburey said he deserved to have been rewarded with a recall to the one-day squad that will tour Pakistan from next month.

"The fact that he’s not there to me is criminal," Emburey said.

"He’s going to have to bat like Don Bradman to play any better than he has done this year."

Shah, 27, has just enjoyed his finest season for Middlesex, scoring a total of 1,656 runs at an average of 69.

But that record was not enough to convince the selectors, who appear unwilling to forget Shah’s 15 previous England appearances, which brought him only 283 runs at a disappointing average of 21.76 before he was dropped two-and-a-half years ago.

Emburey suspects that a niggling knee problem may have counted against the batsman.

"I hope someone actually speaks to him and tells him why he isn’t going and doesn’t use his little knee injury as an excuse," said Emburey, a former England spinner.

"I want someone to be honest with the bloke – either the selectors or the coach.

"I can understand there are no vacancies in the Test side for him because the batting is fairly solid and they have kept a squad of players together which has performed very well, and I think that’s right.

"But I think their one-day cricket has been very inconsistent and there is a need to bring someone in who can add something to the team and make them better."