Shah hoping to put one over his old team-mates ; Essex's new signing takes on the county that released him in the summer

A QUIRK of the fixture calendar has thrown up an excitingprospect for Essex's new signing Owais Shah.

Having made his debut for the county in Sunday's Clydesdale Bank40 win over Unicorns, Shah will now take on the side that releasedhim in the summer, Middlesex.

It was a bitter parting of the ways when Shah, 32, found outthrough a local newspaper that his services would no longer berequired at the club he had played for since under-11 level.

But time has healed some of those wounds and he is hoping to putone over his former teammates in the LV=County Championship DivisionTwo match which started yesterday (Tuesday) at Chelmsford.

"It's going to be really weird," he told the Gazette.

"It's funny how it's worked out. I have been a Middlesex boysince the under-11s, I have been a professional cricketer for 15years at Middlesex.

Really strange "So it's going to be really strange but life moveson and so I have to move on and I have accepted it.

" I have moved on from Middlesex and I wish them all the best. "Ihave got a lot of friends there but my career is here at Essex nowand I've got a job to do, so I've got to move on.

"Hopefully I can get some runs against those guys. I haveperformed for them for a very long time and it will be nice toperform against them for a change."

With Essex struggling to score first innings runs, Shah's arrivalis likely to be crucial to their chances of staging a promotionchallenge. After a difficult start to life in division two, Shah isstill confident his new team can turn things around. And they'llcertainly want to beat Middlesex after suffering a humblingeightwicket defeat at Lord's earlier in the season.

"I have been following them on the Internet," he said. "Wehaven't won too many four day games but it's still early days.

"We just have to play good cricket in all departments. If we canfind a formula for getting wickets, which is what you have to do infour day cricket, and if the batters can fire, then you never know."Good cricket After a winter spent playing in South Africa for CapeCobras, followed by a spell in the IPL with Kochi Tuskers Kerala,Shah is pleased to be home and spoke about why he finally settled onjoining Essex with other counties reportedly interested.

"I looked around potential clubs where I would like to play mycricket and Essex was one of them." he revealed.

"The reason (I joined) being they have had a lot of success overthe past four or five years, where they have won trophies and stuffand that's something I would like to do.

"Secondly, it's a good place to bat. Being a batsmen it's one ofthe best to bat in the country and also I live in north east London.

"So, I decided to approach these guys and they were very muchinterested." The former England middleorder batsman hasn't given upon his international ambitions either. "I haven't closed the doorbut I think certain people might have." he said, "I need to score alot of runs to remind them about my England stuff, I mean there's anew captain in one day cricket and they haven't got much experience.

"He (new England one day captain Alastair Cook) is my teammate soif I perform who knows. "We haven't had much success in the last twoWorld Cups, so if they change their thinking, you never know?"