Pedro Collins - West Indies - Bowler

Reon King, Franklyn Rose, Mervyn Dillon, Cameron Cuffy, Vasbert Drakes, Marlon Black, Colin Stuart, Gavin Tonge, Jerome Taylor, Fidel Edwards, Kemar Roach. The catalogue of promising West Indies pacers to have fallen by the wayside after the golden era is endless. Pedro Tyrone Collins was no exception either.

Collins propelled himself into the West Indies Test team after an incisive spell for West Indies-A against India. Just when he was settling down, learning the tricks of the trade from Walsh and Ambrose, Collins, who was a genuine muck with the bat, was pinged on the box by a Jason Gillespie delivery leading to a painful testicular injury.

After a lengthy year-long layoff, Collins returned with improved fitness and pace. Curving the ball back in was Collins' forte but he was excruciatingly injury-prone and inconsistent. Collins' crowning glory came when he snared 14 wickets, bulldozing Bangladesh at home. In the limited overs version, Collins focused more on wicket-to-wicket bowling. He also did well against England the same year. Injuries coupled with loss of form relegated him to the sidelines again. With his half brother, Fidel Edwards succumbing to an injury of his own, Collins was recalled in 2006 to face India on home soil. He picked up his 100th Test wicket during the series but failed to summon the intensity which highlighted his bowling in the early stages of his career. The upshot was that he was jostled out of the setup.

Collins missed the 2007 World Cup as well after which he signed a two year deal with Surrey. The Kolpak route effectively signalled the end of his international career that saw him feature in 32 Tests and 30 ODIs for 106 and 39 wickets respectively.

By Deivarayan Muthu