Shahbaz Ali was delighted to hit the headlines for the right reasons after making his highest Oxfordshire score.

Last season Shahbaz often found himself surrounded by controversy as Kidlington captain, but now back at Banbury he is now determined to let his cricket do the talking.

And with 46 against Bedfordshire and a match-winning county best 80 not out at home to Cumberland on Sunday, he is already doing that.

Shahbaz said: “I’m trying to cement my place in the Oxfordshire team. In the past I have given my wicket away.

“Now I’m putting a big price on my wicket.

“My targets are quite high this year. I want to be a success and score runs.

“I think it has probably helped me going to Banbury.

“It is a new challenge for me, playing at as high a level I can.

“It is a very competitive league and getting harder and harder each year.”

Shahbaz’s 80 against Cumberland was a well-controlled innings and proved the key to an Oxon victory that had looked anything but certain.

“It was a good wicket,” he said. “I thought if we batted out our overs we would do it.

“Their spinners bowled well and it was hard to find the gaps.

“The main objective for me was to stick it out. It was definitely one of my best innings for Oxfordshire. It was very enjoyable.

“David Smith took the pressure off me. But when Richard Kaufman came in, that’s when it changed.

“The running between the wickets was much better after that.”

Had Oxon lost to Cumberland, their MCCA Trophy hopes would almost certainly have been over.

Captain Ian Hawtin admitted: “We were a bit nervous going into the last ten overs.

“It was difficult, but we did have wickets in hand.

“Shahbaz and David Smith batted brilliantly to get us there with five balls to spare.

“Shahbaz has worked hard through the winter, and long may his form continue.

“David came into a pressure situation, but showed great maturity on his debut.”

Hawtin added: “Their spinners got us bogged down in the middle.

“That was the same in their innings when we took the pace off the ball.”

Any teams who have not entered the Bernard Tollett Oxfordshire Knockout Cup must do so by the end of the week.

To register for the Twenty20 competition, email okocup@ googlemail.com.