DOB: 1.8.69 County: Surrey Test debut: 3rd Test v Australia, Trent Bridge 1993 One-day international debut: v Australia, Old Trafford 1993 Left hand batsman, right arm medium pace bowler

Thorpe's decision to head home on the first day of the second Test in India, to attend to family problems, was a major blow for the tourists.

And his decision to return for the one-day series was rather an anticlimax when a stomach bug kept him out of the tournament opener and saw him take only a bit-part in three games.

England's best player of spin, his quality stood out during the trips to Pakistan and Sri Lanka last winter.

His ability to find gaps in the field for ones and twos, against even the most miserly bowling is especially useful in the one-day game.

The left-hander keeps the score ticking, easing the pressure on his partners.