Lou Vincent

Despite an outstanding start to his Test career, a century and a half-century in his first Test, played at Perth in the summer of 2001-02, Lou Vincent's career has remained an unfulfilled one. He struggled to live up to those early expectations, played only 23 Tests, and in 2014 was banned for life by the ECB for breaching their anti-corruption regulations.

Vincent played his last international match in 2007, but his career low came after that, when he was involved with bookmakers during the England county season. Vincent later pleaded guilty to these charges, which referred to three matches during the 2008 and 2011 season, and also to a CLT20 match in 2012.

In the early part of his career, though, Vincent was seen a fine batting talent. Following his outstanding Test debut in 2001-02, he wasn't always consistent, but came up with some top-class performances. A superb 224, his first Test double-century, against Sri Lanka was then followed up with a good one-day series in South Africa, in October 2005 and he returned home with his reputation intact, unlike many of his team-mates. The following season he signed for Worcestershire but he then had a disappointing Champions Trophy and was overlooked for the home Test and one-day series against Sri Lanka.

When his ODI return came, as a replacement for Nathan Astle in the tri-series in Australia in early 2007, Vincent grabbed the chance with both hands and strung together innings of 66, 76 and 90. It made him New Zealand's second-highest run-scorer for the tournament, despite playing only half the games and secured his ticket to the Caribbean. He began with two ducks before finding his form with a century against Canada, but a broken wrist ended his tournament before the Super Eight stage.

His career nosedived after a poor run of form during the tour of South Africa and the Chappell-Hadlee Series that followed. Dropped for the tour of Bangladesh, he admitted to suffering from depression and lost his contract with New Zealand Cricket after joining the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League.

He since plied his trade mainly in limited-overs cricket on the English county circuit, turning out for Lancashire in 2008, Northamptonshire in 2010 and Sussex in 2011, before the corruption charges and the life ban ended that stint rather unceremoniously.
ESPNcricinfo staff