ENGLAND hardly covered themselves in glory at the Cricket World Cup in the West Indies, but one of their few brighter moments came in the performances of former Kent wicketkeeper Paul Nixon.

Nixon was introduced to the England dressing room soon after the 5-0 Ashes whitewash and within the blink of a reverse sweep helped lift the mood.

The quirky left-hander will now go on to enjoy a benefit season with Leicestershire having re-joined the East Midlands county after his controversial axing by Kent at the end of the 2002 campaign.

Despite three relatively successful campaigns with Kent the Cumbrian-born player was released in favour of Geraint Jones.

Back in those dark days of 2002, playing for England in a World Cup must have seemed an impossible dream for Nixon, but it is testament to his strength of character that he never stopped aiming high.

He said: "All I ever wanted to do was play for England and finally that dream has been fulfilled.

"I’m great friends with Geraint Jones and most of the other keepers on the circuit and I want to see them us all doing well. That means whoever does the job for England will be up to the required standard.

"If I’m keeping for England I want other people to be happy for me, because when others get their chance I’ll be cheering them on."

Looking back on his time at Kent and his relationship with Jones, the man who replaced him in the county first team, 36-year-old Nixon has no gripes.

He said: "We’re still great mates. He knows as well as I do that this game is all about learning from the bad days and I’m sure that he’ll be a stronger and better player once he’s had time to reflect on the last year."