A flamboyant batsman, Lou Vincent enjoyed a sensational start to his Test career with a century and a half-century on debut and that too against the Aussies at Perth in 2001. Then, he ran into a bad patch. Vincent earned some decent starts but threw them away, failing to improve his conversion rate. This pattern stretched through to his ODI game as well.

Though his Test appearances were relegated to intermittent ones, Vincent had a fair run in ODIs with his agile fielding and occasional wicket-keeping skills often tilting the balance in his favour. His most cherished moment came when he struck 172 against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo, setting a new record for the highest individual score by a Kiwi batsman in ODIs until fellow Aucklander, Martin Guptill surpassed him with an unbeaten 189 against England in 2013. With Nathan Astle calling time on his career, Vincent was expected to slip into the opener's shoes. However, he fell prey to vast bouts of inconsistency and was omitted from the team. In the interim, the team management's rotation policy too did not help his cause and his international career hit rock-bottom.

After being dropped from the New Zealand side, Vincent suffered depression. He further strained his relationship with New Zealand Cricket by singing up for the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League after overcoming the disorder. With his international career cut short, Vincent established himself as a jobbing batsman for hire, playing for four different English counties and a whole lot of other teams around the world.

In May 2014, Vincent's reputation took a beating when he was charged with match-fixing offences by the ECB, relating to his deliberate under-performance for Sussex in a CB 40 match and a T20 clash in 2011.

A few weeks later, Vincent was banned for life from all forms of cricket by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after he admitted his involvement in match-fixing during his county stints. The ban has also been extended to the Champions League T20. Accepting his wrongdoings, Vincent commented, 'My name is Lou Vincent and I am a cheat. I have abused my position as a professional sportsman on a number of occasions by choosing to accept money in fixing.'

By Cricketlineguruji Staff