Ali Shah was on potential a genuine all-rounder who had it in him to scale great heights. Unfortunately, the passion in him wasn't at high levels and the lessened commitment eventually affected his career numbers. The first non-white player to represent Zimbabwe, Shah was part of the side since their Associate days, providing tremendous balance to the side with this multiple skills. He could bowl probing medium pace and as a batsman, he was a an aggressive left-hander who enjoyed tonking the ball down the order. A major part of Shah's career got messed up due to his indulgence in business, which meant that he didn't give the required attention to cricket.

Lack of interest in training and practice definitely dented his progress. Despite all this, Shah was in line to be a part of Zimbabwe's historical Test debut, only to sprain his ankle prior to the game. He did play three Tests though, but they were scattered across four years which summed up his declining fortunes n the team. After his playing days, Shah spent a great amount of time as a television commentator/expert. Consequently, he got appointed as a national selector, a job he did reasonably well before having to exit in the 2004 Heath Streak fiasco that had seen a major rebellion between the administration and the players.

Written by Hariprasad Sadanandan