By Srian Obeyesekere

The hard hitting former England batsman, Owais Shah will bring a wealth of experience in mentoring the Dambulla Vikings as its Head Coach in the staging of the historic Lanka Premier League by Sri Lanka Cricket that unfolds on November 26 at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Sooriyawewa, Hambantota.(SLC)  Team for the inaugural Lanka Premier League Twnety20 Cricket Tournament, which begins later this month.

The 42-year-old middle order, who replaced the originally billed Jon Lews for the job, will get down to his first assignment with the the Dambulla Vikings when they take on the Kandy Tuskers on November 28, in a day game.

The star studded side has in the starting line-up a solid combination of local and international players in Dasun Shanaka, Niroshan Dickwella, Lahiru Kumara, Oshada Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Upul Tharanga and Angelo Perera the local clout and Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies), Samit Patel (England), and Paul Stirling (Ireland.

Shah, the former Essex and Hampshire batsman had earlier worked with the Emirates Cricket Board as an Interim Head Coach of the United Arab Emirates Cricket Team (UAE) while spearheading them to a 2-1 series triumph over Oman.

Shah is a veteran of 230 T20s and has also represented the Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders and the Rajasthan Royals in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 Tournament.