WHILE England continue to struggle in One-Day Internationals the man Duncan Fletcher appears to have discarded, Middlesex right-hander Owais Shah, proved good enough to beat Kent almost single-handedly at Lord’s on Sunday.

The Karachi-born player scored a sublime, competition-best 123 not out from only 120 balls to ease Middlesex to an impressive 50-over total of 284 for five.

Kent’s run chase lost momentum mid-innings after a decent start and they finished their C&G Trophy campaign on the wrong end of a nine-run defeat and a poor qualification record of played nine, won four and lost four.

Spitfires made one change for this dead rubber in resting overseas all-rounder Andrew Hall to give young Whitstable leg-spinner and batsman Denly a rare opportunity to shine.

Meanwhile hosts Middlesex were ravaged by international absentees and injury and without eight first-choice players.

The Crusaders opted to rest Chris Silverwood, but had Andrew Strauss and Jamie Dalrymple on England duty while Ed Joyce (ankle), Alan Richardson (elbow), Chad Keegan ((groin), Ben Hutton (shingles) and Melvyn Betts (prolapsed disc) all missed the tie for time on the treatment table.

It was 27-year-old Shah who salvaged the hosts from a scrappy start in which they lost former Kent batsman Ed Smith for eight.

Amjad Khan again proved Smith’s nemesis, having him caught behind by Niall O’Brien, this was the ninth time Khan has dismissed Smith since he left Kent.

Khan also accounted for makeshift Middlesex opener Paul Weekes in a stint of two for 50, but that bought together Nick Compton and Shah for the best stand of the game.

The pair added 120 before Patel removed Compton, but Shah later received excellent support from teenager Eoin Morgan, an Ireland team-mate of Niall O’Brien, who contributed a cameo 34 from only 28 balls to leave Kent facing a near run-a-ball victory target.

To their credit, and bearing in mind nothing rested on the game, Kent made a bright start as Neil Dexter (19) and Darren Stevens added 87 for the first wicket in just over an hour before Dexter fell leg before to acting Middlesex skipper Scott Styris.

Stevens, who will regret not playing Kent’s match-winning innings, chipped back to Weekes to go for 75 and although Martin van Jaarsveld (58) and Joe Denly with a competition-best 70 from 79 balls kept hopes alive, they proved false hopes.

Occasional left-arm spinner Chris Peploe accounted for van Jaarsveld and Rob Key (2) and when Johann Louw returned to remove Denly near the death Spitfires’ chances nose-dived.