THERE have been plenty of larger than life characters in the West Indies team over the years.
You don't have to cast your mind back too far to recall the likes of Viv Richards and Curtly Ambrose dominating opposing teams by sheer force of will, as much as their innate talent.
The same most certainly cannot be said of the quiet, unassuming figure that is Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Now almost 30, and with a decade's experience behind him as an international cricketer, he should be the obvious choice to succeed Brian Lara when the latter decides to step down as captain.
But even though he has led Guyana in domestic competitions, he prefers to let his bat do the talking as far as Test cricket is concerned.
And his achievement in scoring 128 and 97, both not out, against England at Lord's underlined his value to a side which has been struggling to live up to the legacy of great West Indies teams of the past.
Interviews with Chanderpaul are rare. But he has a simple philosophy.
"I believe you must make the most of good times, because in cricket, the bad times are always round the corner," he said two years ago.
CHANDERPAUL'S RECORD 77 Tests, 4 980 runs, average 44.86, 11x100, 31x50, highest score 140 157 ODIs, 4 504 runs, average 35.18, 3x100, 29x50, highest score 150
"I pray a lot. I'm a very religious person and that gives me strength."
It has not been a smooth ride for Chanderpaul, since he made his Test debut as a teenager in Georgetown and marked the occasion by batting for almost three hours to make 62.
He has, for a start, had a bewildering array of injuries including broken fingers, a damaged ligament in his arm, stress fracture of the right foot, and a bad back, which forced him to miss a tour to Sri Lanka in 2001.
As recently as April this year, he was dropped for the fourth Test against England in Antigua because, according to the West Indies Cricket Board, he looked "tired and lethargic".
Despite that, there is no question that Chanderpaul's ability to occupy the crease normally makes him one of the first names on the team sheet.
But he is a batsman of surprising contrasts - and one with a style as unorthodox as it is effective.
His 69-ball hundred on his home ground against Australia last year was the third fastest of all-time. And last winter he made 109 against South Africa, 86 of which came in fours and sixes because he was suffering from a leg injury.
Even more unusual was his innings in the first one-day international against England earlier this year.
He took 52 balls to reach double figures, dead-batting the ball instead of working it into the gaps and looking for singles.
But suddenly in the 17th over, he came to life with a four and six in the same over from Steve Harmison and went on to make 84 off 96 balls.
You had to see it to believe it and even then only after pinching yourself to make sure you weren't dreaming.
Normal service was resumed at Lord's where he defied everything England could throw at him despite painful blows to the hand, elbow and knee.
Chanderpaul may not be a larger than life personality - but his character is surely in no doubt. (BBC Sport).