Carlton Baugh

Carlton Seymour Baugh started his cricketing career with Jamaica as a genuine batsman before realizing that donning the wicket-keeping gloves would increase his chances of making it to the national team.

A decent 2002-03 first-class season saw him make his Test debut against Australia in 2003 and though he affected three dismissals, his impact with the bat was minimal. In the same series, he also ODI debuted against the Baggie Green but a handful of games later, poor batting led to him being replaced by Ridley Jacobs in both formats. However with the veteran’s retirement in 2004, the diminutive keeper earned a recall and scored 68 in the first innings of his comeback Test against England. However, inability to sustain the form resulted in a second axing but he once again defied the odds to make a comeback in 2006. But when the fourth axe fell in 2008, it was believed that his international career was well and truly over.

West Indian cricket continued to surprise when in 2010, Baugh replaced Ramdin for the Test series against Sri Lanka. The move was not an indicator of Baugh’s performance but total failure on WICB’s part to produce a decent keeper over the years, as someone who was axed four times was getting another bite at the cherry. However, for Baugh it was an ideal opportunity to prove that what happened in the past was a mere blip and that he still has a lot to offer to West Indies cricket.