As a hard-hitting middle-order batsman and a more-than-capable slow left-arm bowler, Samit Patel had the raw materials to be an England regular in one-day cricket, and in 11 ODIs in 2008, he seemed to demonstrate the necessary mental toughness as well, particularly during a haul of 5 for 41 to beat South Africa at The Oval.

But instead of kicking on to greater things, Patel's career stagnated into a cautionary tale, amid repeated failures to respond to the cajoling of the England management, and get into the gym to sort out a waistline that was too wide for the standards expected of an international cricketer.

The final straw came ahead of the 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent. England desperately wanted to be able to include him for the slow, low wickets of India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and named him in their 30-man provisional squad, with the expectation that he would respond accordingly. "All we were saying was 'get into reasonable shape'. It didn't have to be perfect," said England's coach, Andy Flower.

That public rollicking appeared to, finally, have made the penny drop. Patel worked hard enough at his fitness before the 2011 season to have reached the basic targets laid out by England and he was rewarded with a recall to the limited-overs set-up after a strong start to the summer with Nottinghamshire.

Patel's early career was full of promise. He represented England at Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 levels, and was awarded the Test Match Special Young Cricketer of the Year award in 2000 for his impressive performances in the Under-15 World Cup.

He made his debut for Nottinghamshire 2nd XI at the age of just 14, in late 1999 but it wasn't until 2006 that he finally began to show signs of realising his potential, scoring 156 not out against Middlesex, an innings in which he went from 100 to 150 in just 17 balls.

Some of his most eye-catching performances came in Twenty20, including a unique double-wicket maiden against Derbyshire in 2006, but it was in 50-over cricket that he first attracted the interest of England's selectors, who named him in a 30-man provisional squad for the 2008 Champions Trophy. A few weeks later he was also announced in England's one-day squad to take on South Africa that August.
Andrew Miller June 2011