Shah inspires England to win over WIndies

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LONDON, Jun 30 (AFP): Owais Shah blazed 55 from 35 balls as England beat West Indies in the second twenty20 international at the Brit Oval Friday to level the two-match series 1-1.
As they had Thursday, England's run chase was hampered by the regular loss of wickets, but this time their target was not so challenging and they found enough contributions to see them home.
It was Shah, though, who stood out. Called into the one-day squad after England's disappointing World Cup, he showed great composure and a willingness to improvise in a perfectly timed innings.
Others were less impressive. Alastair Cook, who always seemed a surprising selection for this length of the game, failed for the second successive match, bowled middle-stump by Daren Powell, who was steaming in far faster than he had in the Test series.
Matt Prior, who enjoyed a successful Test series against the West Indies, though, set about the bowling with gusto, despite taking a blow on the left wrist from a Powell bouncer.
He smashed two sumptuous fours off Ravi Rampaul's second over before he too was bowled, playing all round a straight delivery to fall for 22 off 14 balls.
Jonathan Trott followed in Rampaul's next over, caught off the glove by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin as he attempted to pull, and Kevin Pietersen, who had got off the mark with a bludgeoning shot through the covers for four, almost followed next ball.
His edge, though, just eluded the diving Dwayne Bravo at slip.
With England 43-3, it was left to captain Collingwood once again to steady the ship. He exuded authority immediately, and struck a majestic pull for four off Ramdin.
That seemed to jab Pietersen into action, and he hammered two leg-side fours from successive balls in Powell's next over -- neither entirely cleanly hit -- before being fortunate to get away with an inside edge as Ramdin grounded an enormously difficult chance.
His skittish innings eventually came to an end in the ninth over, as he mistimed a forcing shot on the offside and chipped a return catch to Darren Sammy.
Collingwood managed one six over midwicket, but he fell just as he threatened to cut loose, stumped by Denesh Ramdin after missing a quicker one from Marlon Samuels.
At that stage the game seemed to be slipping away from England, as West Indies skipper Chris Gayle acknowledged.