The Mystery of Lou Vincent

Watching the New Zealand top order struggle against Australia has left me wondering how Lou Vincent would have fared. With his experience and track record in ODI's and tests against Australia, he would have seemed a vital part of our batting arsenal. Instead, he is apparently back in England.

How did it get to this? I first read about Vincent when he was an 18 year old selected for Auckland. He had spent his teenage years in Australia, and some commentators suggest this provided him with a hardened attitude compared to his Kiwi counterparts. Vincent of course went on to score a century on debut at the WACA against an Australian attack featuring Lee, McGrath, Gillespie & Warne (he got a half century in the second innings). It was a phenomenal achievement and should have paved the way to a glittering career. In his book 'Out of the Park' Craig McMillan writes that Vincent is the "most talented cricketer I have seen." So why hasn't Vincent enjoyed the same success of Fleming, Astle or even McMillan himself?

McMillan suggests that Vincent was plagued by a lack of self belief, which wasn't helped by being shifted up and down the order. A particular example is where Vincent scored 224 batting at No.4, and the next test found himself opening.

When Nathan Astle was dropped in 2007 and Vincent came in to open in the World Series against Australia and South Africa. He had immediate success and it looked like he might finally fulfill his promise. Unfortunately, a broken hand took him out of the World Cup and he struggled in the test series later that year against South Africa. He was dropped and shortly afterwards revealed he had suffered from depression. In a recent interview ('Back from the Brink') he talks about his battle with this condition and how it may have cost him some cricket roles as people doubt his confidence. However, he suggests he has come to grips with it which can only be good for his future cricketing performances. Certainly, his performances in the domestic T20 were outstanding, and included an unbeated century off 60 balls while using the new Mongoose bat. Unfortunately, while the selectors have welcomed back his ICL teammates Bond and Tuffey, Vincent is still out in the cold.