Ryan Hurley, an offspinning allrounder from Barbados, is a determined man. After slipping out of the Barbados team, he took a break from cricket after a sudden decision to retire from all forms of the game, apart from the limited-overs version, in December 2000. His days appeared to be numbered, but the time away did him the world of good. He announced his return in 2002-03 with a century in his first innings back, against the Windward Islands, and finished a commendable season with a healthy average and the Clive Lloyd Award for the best fielder in the competition. He was duly rewarded with a call-up to the one-day squad to play against Australia that season, a selection which completed a remarkable turnaround to a career that promised so much in his early days, when he smacked two centuries for the West Indies youth team in Pakistan in 1995. He played in two matches against Australia, and a further two against Sri Lanka later that year. However, he didn't exactly set the world alight, batting only once for a duck, and taking two wickets. But he was given another chance when picked for the squad against South Africa in 2003-04. Freddie Auld
