From carpenter to New Zealand cricketer

Lou Vincent has had to claw his way back into New Zealand team, and he has done so, by various means © Getty Images

When Lou Vincent debuted with a brilliant century at Perth in November 2001 he had the cricketing world at his feet. It has not been the smoothest of trips since but now a third Test century looms, followed by a lengthy stay in the New Zealand middle-order.

With Stephen Fleming dropping down the order to rest his injured knee, Vincent was promoted to No. 4 and responded with an innings of maturity. There were nervous jitters early on - there usually are with Vincent - but there were also shots of authority.

Vincent's love of front-foot play brought a barrage of boundaries at the WACA but, since then, it regularly led to his downfall when he opened the innings. Edges behind the wicket were the result of his tendency to play defensive strokes powerfully rather than delicately.

In progressing to an unbeaten 79 today, Vincent displayed patience in the face of some testing bowling while also pulling out some sizzling off-drives and he greeted a new spell of Farveez Maharoof with a pull in front of square for four.

In the first 13 Tests that Vincent played he twice featured as one of four New Zealand centurions in a Test innings; at Perth and at Mohali in October 2003. He usually played as an opener despite the fact it was not his normal position in domestic cricket.

After New Zealand lost to Pakistan 15 months back, Vincent was discarded until he returned for the first Test against Australia last month on the back of sheer weight of domestic runs. In five State Championship matches he rattled off 563 runs at an average of 112.60, with a top score of 185 not out.

That success was not by chance either. Last year Vincent bought himself a house in the country and set about doing it up. He soon found that driving in nails away from the hustle and bustle of Auckland city was the ideal medicine to turn his game around. From rural carpenter to New Zealand cricketer, not the usual formula in these professional times but one that is likely to see him cement a cricket rather than a building contract for next season.