Ian Bradshaw

A distinctly nippy left arm pacer, who can double up as a resourceful lower order batsman, Bradshaw injected balance into the West Indies ODI XI during his playing days.

After skippering the West Indies Under-19 side, Bradshaw put himself on the fringes of the senior team. However he had to wait for his international debut, which came to pass only in 2004 in an ODI against England, just weeks before his 30th birthday. The Barbadian bowler was a mixed bag, garnering two wickets for 58 runs. He gradually found his feet at the big stage, establishing himself as an automatic pick. The year 2004 was a special one for West Indies as they clinched the ICC Champions Trophy, igniting the resurgence of Caribbean cricket and Ian Bradshaw was at the forefront of success, earning the Man of the Match award in a tense final.

Following up his 2-54 with the ball, Bradshaw pieced together a steady, undefeated 71-run stand for the 9th wicket with Courtney Browne to overhaul the 217-run target, guiding his side to a historic win.

Though he was rendered ineffective in Tests, he continued to operate well in the limited overs format until 2007. Despite the evident dip in form and rhythm, he was inducted in the West Indies squad for the 2007 WC. The move backfired with Bradshaw haemorrhaging 167 runs in 29 overs for just two wickets in the three games he played.

In the wake of the shoddy showing in the WC, Bradshaw retired from international cricket.

By Deivarayan Muthu