Owais Shah struggling with eye problem

Owais Shah joined Andrew Flintoff on the sidelines as England developed an imposing lead over St Kitts & Nevis at Warner Park.

Shah, who finished unbeaten on 125 in a score of 424 for eight declared, was ruled out of the final two days of this match with a scratched cornea.

He was following the lead of Flintoff, who was sent to Jamaica for a scan on his side strain, the results of which will be revealed tomorrow.

All-rounder Flintoff was pulled out yesterday evening after reporting discomfort in his left side and was replaced in the side by Stuart Broad following permission by the hosts.

Although the team management have been quick to emphasise the scanning procedure is precautionary, Flintoff has suffered from this injury in the recent past, namely when it scuppered his return for the home Test series against New Zealand last summer.

Shah was unable to take the field at the start of the second day due to his blurred vision but hopes to be fit to face the West Indies A side on the same ground later this week.

In his absence, England turned to substitute fielders in a contest they ironically requested to be an 11-a-side affair.

But their dismantling of their Caribbean hosts did not prove too taxing despite a lack of general potency with the ball.

It allowed new England captain Andrew Strauss to race to a half-century in just one hour second time around, and Alastair Cook to register his second 50 of the contest in the final over.

England resume tomorrow with all second-innings wickets intact and an overall advantage of 291.

Left-arm spinner Monty Panesar claimed four for 53 while Broad and James Anderson chipped in with two apiece as the hosts were dismissed for 251 early in the final session.

Paceman Steve Harmison claimed the initial breakthrough, and only one in the opening hour, as teenager Kejel Tyson nicked behind and wicketkeeper Matt Prior clung on to a spectacular one-handed catch.

But his second spell highlighted a distinct impression of ring-rustiness and resulted in overall figures of 13-0-68-1.

Wickets in consecutive overs from Panesar and Broad meant that the home team took lunch three down.

Steve Liburd drove left-arm spinner Panesar straight to short extra-cover and St Kitts captain Shane Jeffers, who got off the mark with an edged four through the slips off Harmison and led something of a charmed life, short-arm jabbed straight to deep cover off Broad.

Broad's figures were dented, however, by an assault from Codville Rogers, who hit four boundaries in one over shortly before the interval.

Left-hander Rogers hit a fine half-century, from 63 deliveries, but was sixth out when he sliced a drive low to gully to provide some revenge for Broad.

New-ball bowler Anderson profited from a change of ends, claiming the first two wickets to fall in the afternoon session: Junie Mitchum chopping on in the first over and Elsroy Powell succumbing to the fourth leg-before appeal in quick succession.

Leg-spinner Adil Rashid, in his first appearance for the full England side, claimed a maiden breakthrough when Terrance Ward was adjudged to have gained an inside edge as the ball popped up to wicketkeeper Prior off the batsman's body.

And Panesar cleaned up the tail after a spirited stand of 78 runs for the eighth wicket between Akito Willett and Joel Simmonds.

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