For a long time, though, it seemed Rampaul might never fulfill his potential at international level, as he did little of note in his first six years in international cricket, partly due to injury: he was picked to tour southern Africa in 2003-04, and England later that year, but he broke down and returned home, shin splints sidelining him for more than a year. He played intermittently thereafter, but when belatedly given an opportunity towards the end of the 2011 World Cup.