World Cup 2019: Only runs, wickets and catches matter, says Owais Shah

Birmingham Former batsman Owais Shah could never experience an England victory in ODIs on Indian soil But he played a significant role for England in a rare serieslevelling performance mdash at Mumbais Wankhede Stadium in 2006 mdash when the visitors beat Rahul Dravids Indian team to end the rubber 11 after India took the lead in the second Test at MohaliHis agony against India continued in 2007 when despite him scoring an unbeaten 107 in Englands total of 316 at The Oval his side ended up losing in the last over Shah was at Edgbaston yesterday where he figured in the England team in third ODI of that series He scored 19 off 15 balls in Englands total of 281 then after which India were bowled out for 239 Shah 40 now into the real estate business spoke to midday yesterdayExcerptsAre you happy with the way England are going about their businessThe modern game now relies a lot on power Yes it is very skilful but England have a lot of powerhitters especially the Top 7 batters They have the power game so if the pitch is very good England will generally look for 300plus scores which is very daunting for the opposition Teams generally know that when they are playing England they have to score at least 300 runs to have a chance to winAlso ReadWorld Cup 2019 India drop a game against England by 31 runsEngland players celebrate the dismissal of India captain Virat Kohli at Edgbaston yesterday PicAFPShould England alter their plans or continue to play attacking cricket even if the pitch is not conducive for strokeplayThat powerhitting is their A game but England have to have Game B and C in place If the pitch doesnt allow you to get 300 runs how are you going to score runs and end up with 280 which is a winning score If you keep playing the way you play on a pitch which doesnt allow you to play freely England may end up getting all out for 180 which is not the right approach Smart cricketers always adapt to conditions That is something England will need to do if they have to win the World CupJonny Bairstow has lashed out at former players for being critical of their performancehellipIn elite sports there is always pressure It is about how you cope The media can make you a hero one day and literally a zero the next It is about how you perceive the media in your life I think you have to be smart and not get too worried about what is being said in the press as a cricketer In the end you have to do your job Your runs wickets and catches will do the talking If you get caught up in the media battle you the players are not going to win it As a cricketer you will have more bad days than good days which is a factI dont know whether the media is against our cricketers There could be some harsh criticism handed out to some of our players If that is a catalyst for the players to get motivated and if we go on and win the World Cup then probably that is what was needed Do you think England have it in them to win the World Cup as they are struggling to reach the semishellipThe way they are playing today Sunday it is looking good I definitely feel the way they are playing they can win the World Cup If they beat India and New Zealand their next match I think we will go on and win the World Cup These matches are going to be tougher than the semifinal If they have the mental capacity to beat India today and New Zealand thereafter because these are mustwin matches for them I think they will definitely perform in the big games which are the semifinal and finalCan you recall your Test debut at Wankhede Stadium in 2006Yes I loved those five days Getting runs in that match 88 and 38 and playing on the same turf with Sachin Tendulkar was another dream come true was memorable I was lucky to talk to him as well I was then involved in the IPL for five years India is a wonderful place I simply love it It is fantastic to play cricket there the whole country breathes cricketWhat else do you remember of that matchRahul Dravid winning the toss and kindly electing to bowl first which was a crazy decision I am sure Rahul will agree with me We made full use of the batting conditions and knocked off 400 runs in the first innings I remember Andrew Flintoff sang a song Johnny Cashs Ring of Fire at lunch time to inspire us We beat India on Day Five after lunchAlso ReadWorld Cup 2019 Stars descend at Edgbaston not just on the field of playCatch up on all the latest T20 news and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates