 Shah is regarded as a fine player of spin bowling |
Middlesex coach John Emburey has backed Owais Shah to do a good job for England if he is pressed into service during the Test series in India. Shah has been summoned from the England A tour to the West Indies to provide cover for the senior squad.
"I'm very pleased for Owais. He's one of the better players of spin in the country," Emburey told BBC Sport.
Shah, 27, played 15 one-day internationals between 2001 and 2003 but has yet to appear in a Test match.
Emburey has no doubt, however, that he is better prepared to make the step up from county cricket this time.
"Not being involved in international cricket over the last three years has worked in his favour.
"He's matured as an individual and his game has improved," he said.
Shah was prolific in the County Championship last summer, making 1,650 runs at an average of 63.46.
The Karachi-born batsman underwent surgery on a troublesome knee injury in October but has spent the winter recovering at the England Academy in Loughborough.
He was preferred to county team-mate Ed Joyce and England A skipper Vikram Solanki when a call went out to the Caribbean for a replacement for Marcus Trescothick, who has flown home from India for family reasons.
Alastair Cook and James Anderson had already been summoned to the subcontinent by the selectors because of a spate of injuries.
MMIX
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