Gareth Breese

Good enough to captain Jamaica and win a Test cap for West Indies in 2002-03, Gareth Breese was an offspinning, hard-hitting allrounder who holds a British passport and who made himself a mainstay of the Durham team, particularly in limited-overs cricket.

Born in Montego Bay, Breese represented West Indies Under-19 before forcing his way into Jamaica's squad during the 1995-96 Red Stripe Cup. One of the successes of the 2001-02 Busta Cup campaign, Breese claimed 44 wickets for Jamaica with his offspin - including a career-best 7 for 60 in the semi-final victory over Barbados - and added more than 350 runs with some lusty lower-order hitting. He did well for the Busta XI that dismissed the Indian tourists for 150 in April, and was named in the squad for the first Test in Guyana - although in the event he didn't make his Test debut until six months later, on a Chennai turner in October 2002.

But his flat, guileless offspin seemed better suited to the one-day arena, and he was a late addition to the West Indian World Cup squad, although he didn't play a game. By the end of 2003, he had joined Durham as a non-overseas player, and never looked back as he became a fixture on the county scene. He didn't feature at all in the Championship in 2011 and 2012 but in recent years has fulfilled a role in Durham's Second XI as a mentor to the next generation, while also remaining an important part of Durham's Twenty20 and 40-over campaigns. His Durham career ended in joyful fashion when he struck the winning runs at Lord's against Warwickshire in the Royal London One-day Cup final and rushed to the Tavern Stand to celebrate with his family.
ESPNcricinfo staff