Average players suddenly becoming very good

First let me tell you that this thread is NOT about players who you thought had potential from the beginning but wasn't delivering as much as they should, then suddenly one day started producing gems. NO.

This thread is about players whose starts gave you the impression that they are average players at best. But later on they IMPROVED (according to you) their game in some way or the other to become good/very good/great.

Stats shouldn't be handy in this case, as this is about your personal impression - and you don't have to prove that you were right/wrong (so averages in the first 10 matches have nothing to do with this). The list will differ from person to person.

I shall start with 6 players who 'I thought' were nothing special when they started, but as their careers progressed I saw them applying themselves well and improving their game to become better - Matthew Hayden, Anil Kumble, James Anderson, Zaheer Khan, Hashim Amla, Younis Khan.

Andrew Strauss and Graeme Swann are a couple of players who spring to mind for me, Ed Cowan being another.

Scott Styris was a big one for this category, he always looks woeful until one day he just sort of got good.

Hashim Alma another one for me too.

Shiv Chanderpaul for me : never thought a frail tiny U19 youth would have survived !

the physical rigors of 5 days cricket !

BUT 20 years later the chap breaking all records 

Dilshan was another one. Was always a half-decent lower order nudger at best then transformed into an unbelievably destructive opener out of absolutely nowhere.     

Zaheer and Jimmeh definitely. As in Zaheer seemed promising initially but then was meh, and then came back strongly. Not sure now, though. Jimmeh, BIG TIME. Just amazing level of improvement from a decent medium pacer to one of the best.

Even Steyn to an extent, initially I thought he was not so bad, then bam - out of nowhere, just vaults his way to the top. Amazing.