Tim Ambrose

There are players who get overshadowed by some of their colleagues, and then there are some who don't get enough opportunities to create a shadow of their own. If you place the above statement in front of Tim Ambrose, he'll struggle to pinpoint one exact reason for falling off the radar. Be it England or Sussex, Tim Ambrose always had challenges that proved too stiff for him to overcome; none bigger than England's most successful wicket-keeper batsman, Matt Prior.

Born on 01 December 1982, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, Tim Ambrose moved to England at the age of 17 and established himself as a powerful wicket-keeper batsman at Sussex. His breakthrough year came in 2003, where Ambrose notched up 900 runs averaging over 40 in County championship and helping Sussex win their first ever championship title in the process.

However, with increased pressure from Prior for keeping duties at Sussex, Tim decided to switch to Warwickshire in 2006 and it took nearly a year and a half to stamp his impact on the side. His highest first-class score, achieved in May 2007, was an innings of 251 not out, against Worcestershire that helped him remain in England's plans for the foreseeable future.

In 2008, the inevitable came up as Ambrose debuted for England in Seddon Park and impressed with a gritty fifty in his maiden innings in Test cricket. He followed it up with a stunning century in the next Test that helped England draw level the series before winning the final Test and the series in Napier. That Test series proved to be a stepping stone for Ambrose to translate his dreams, but lack of consistency and with Prior breathing down his neck, the pressure got the better of Ambrose and he eventually failed to keep up his form against South Africa during the home summer of 2008.

Post the ebbs and flows of his international career, Ambrose got one final crack at Test cricket with Prior returning home to witness the birth of his first child, and that was all Ambrose could manage before falling back to County circles.

A strong player of the back foot, Ambrose is a compulsive cutter and when in full flow, there are very few that could match his keeping skills. Nicknamed as 'Freak', Ambrose anticipated the end of his cricketing career in 2010 with a serious dip in form and depression issues that fiddled with his mental stability. Warwickshire, though, remained interested, and it paid great dividends as Ambrose hit the ground running in 2012 after taking time off with the help of a psychologist. Post that recovery, Ambrose continued to be a part of Warwickshire's integral group and has also starred in their title triumph of 'Natwest T20 Blast' in 2014.