Daren Powell began life as a No 3 batsman and offspinner, while at school in Jamaica, but then came across a concrete pitch that he thought wouldn't suit his spin bowling, so decided to try some medium pace. Seam-up was the way forward for Powell, and now he has developed into a slippery quick bowler - but has had a stop-start international career. He played a single Test against New Zealand in 2002, before another in India, then both Tests on the 2002-03 tour of Bangladesh. But wickets in the subcontinent were never going to suit his style of bowling, and he was dropped - without ever really doing too much wrong. The dispute between players with Cable & Wireless contracts and the West Indies board, which resulted in seven players being unavailable for the first Test against South Africa in March 2005, and an impressive Carib Beer Series, opened the door for a return to the Test team. He bled at an average of 43 in 2005 season in the ODIs and 54 in the Tests in 2005-06. The turnaround came in the 2006-07 season - he picked up nine wickets at 27.55 in the ODIs - and earned a call-up to the World Cup squad where he turned in a series of sound performances. He signed for Hampshire for the second-half of the 2007 season following a good series against England.
Andrew McGlashan May 2008