Former New Zealand cricketer receives special 100th ODI cap after 17 years

Former New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent recently received a special cap for his 100th ODI appearance. It was almost 17 years later of his 100th ODI match. 

Lou Vincent played his 100th ODI on December 2, 2007, against South Africa at Cape Town. While the right-handed opener scored 18 runs in that match, the right-arm medium picked up his only international wicket by dismissing South African legend Jacques Kallis.

At a small ceremony in Auckland, Sir Richard Hadlee recently presented Vincent’s special 100th ODI cap. In that ceremony, Vincent’s family and some of his former teammates attended. 

Vincent said The Post, "It was a lovely way to be acknowledged for my cricketing career, and to be able to use the night as an avenue to say thank you very, very much to people who've been by my side through the great times and the tricky times. It was a really memorable, special night with some lovely words spoken."

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Lou Vincent had a great career before his life ban

Lou Vincent played professional cricket till 2013, while he served for the Blackcaps between 2001 and 2007. He played 23 Tests, 102 ODIs, and nine T20Is where the right-handed batter scored 1332, 2413, and 174 runs, respectively. In his late international career, he mostly served as an opening batter.

Vincent played 98 first-class matches, 220 List A games, and 111 T20s where he scored 5184, 6079, and 2395 runs, respectively.

Vincent also participated in the now-defunct Indian Cricket League (ICL). 

However, in 2014, Vincent’s cricket career got a massive hit with a life ban by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). He had pleaded guilty to 18 breaches of its anti-corruption code in reference to three matches, including fixing.

The past is the past: Lou Vincent

However, in December 2023, the ECB revised Vincent’s life ban to allow him to work in cricket. Vincent is ready to move on in the game. 

Vincent said, "The past is the past. It was powerful that I had such huge support for the application for the ban to be appealed and there was no opposition from the ECB, they fully respected the work I'd done behind the scenes over the last few years and using my experiences to help educate the next generation of players."

The New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive Scott Weenink was happy to present Vincent with the special 100th ODI cap. 

Weenink said, "The reality is, you can't forget what he actually did and he would be the first to admit that, but he's done his penance and no one has done more to fight match-fixing than he has by being so open and telling everything that he knew. When the opportunity came, it was really the least we could do to present him with his cap."

Vincent also revealed that Sir Richard Hadlee was in tears during the cap presentation. Hadlee was the former chairman of selectors, and he first named Vincent in the national squad. 

Vincent recently served for the Seddon Cricket Club. He also participated in a five-day match to raise awareness on men's mental health.