A loose-limbed left-hander with fast hands and slow feet, Hinds had only three Test caps under his belt when he incinerated Pakistan's attack at Bridgetown in 1999-2000. His scores of 165 and 52 included 33 boundaries. A fallow period followed, thanks partly to some harsh umpiring decisions in England, but the real problem was that lazy front foot. As opposition coaches caught on, edged drives and leg-befores abounded. It was a surprise, then, when Hinds was promoted to open for the last Test of West Indies' 2000-01 Australian tour, and all the more so when he and Sherwin Campbell shared opening stands of 147 and 98. Then Chris Gayle happened, and that, along with the team's tendency to chop and change after each series, Hinds was dropped. But after West Indies tried three different opening combinations during the one-day series in England in 2004, he was recalled for his experience and the stability the team required during the Champions Trophy. He failed with the bat, but his bowling was effective in the semi-final and final, when wickets were needed most. He was dropped after another poor showing in the tour of New Zealand in March 2006 but returned in May for the ODI series against India at home. He still struggled to nail down a permanent place and disappeared from the scene again after the Champions Trophy. He signed a Kolpak deal with Derbyshire for 2008 meaning his international future is in doubt.
Simon Briggs