Adrian Barath

Adrian Barath's name had already been heard in the cricket world much before he made his Test debut - he had caught the eye of Brian Lara, no less, as a 11-year-old when batting in the nets. When he played his first Test eight years later, Barath showed he was well worth the hype, with a scintillating 104 at the Gabba, a performance which stood out for its poise and crisp strokeplay even as much bigger names failed miserably. The knock only justified all the excitement that Barath had drawn from his early days. Considered to be one of the most promising young batting talents in the Caribbean, Barath was playing in the Trinidad Under-13 team in 2001 and led the side in 2002. He broke into the U-15 side at 13 and played for three seasons. Barath made his first-class debut for Trinidad in January 2007, scoring 73 against Guyana and two centuries in successive matches against Leewards and Windwards Islands soon followed. He was part of the West Indies U-19 team for the 2008 World Cup and consistent success at domestic level earned him a spot in the West Indies A team against the touring England side in January 2009. He made it count, scoring a hundred against an attack which included James Anderson, Stephen Harmison and Ryan Sidebottom. Many considered Barath unlucky to miss out on the tour of England that followed but his first call-up to the Test squad came soon after, against Bangladesh at home. He didn't play then, which was just as well, since it allowed him to announce his arrival on the international stage with a huge bang.
George Binoy November 2009