Shah at the crossroads
The reasons for Middlesex's surprising decision to sack Owais Shah as vice-captain less than two months into the season have become slightly clearer
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Although only vice-captain, Shah's captaincy skills became more important after Andrew Strauss became a regular in the England side in May - meaning that he would be absent more often than not. But Shah's performances attracted widespread criticism from both the media and supporters, and it is rumoured that some senior players were also less than enamoured with some of his decisions. Add into the melting pot that Shah has a reputation of sometimes being a little difficult, and it was clear something had to be done.
John Emburey, Middlesex's coach, told a members' forum recently that the decision to hand the vice-captaincy to Ed Joyce had been made because it was felt that Shah had been making too many wrong decisions, and the management committee had quickly decided that things could not be allowed to go on as they were.
"We felt we needed a bit of a shake-up and allow Owais to concentrate on his batting," admitted Vinny Codrington, Middlesex's chief executive, admitted. "Tactically he was a bit naive." Phil Edmonds, the Middlesex chairman, added that he was always receptive to constructive criticism, and that in the case of Shah the club had taken note of what the members were saying. Joyce told the members that Shah had been "brilliant" over the switch and had offered his full support.
For Shah, the dismissal represented another blow in a career which promised much but which now threatens to go nowhere. He made his Middlesex debut at 16, and captained England's Under-19 side to World Cup glory in 1999. In 2001 he made his England debut, but in 15 one-dayers he managed only two fifties, and suspicions grew about his ability to gel as part of the team, not to mention his less than dynamic fielding.
Many members were unsurprised that Shah did not succeed as vice-captain, and the committee were believed to be disappointed that the trust they had placed in him appeared to be misguided, and that attempts to steer him down the right path had proved fruitless.
In his early days Shah was often compared to a young Mark Ramprakash - supremely talented, but temperamentally suspect. Ramprakash never quite nailed down the automatic England place his ability suggested he should, and the danger seems to be that Shah is treading a similar path.
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