The man who oversaw West Indies' golden era

It was interesting to see Steve Camacho and Andy Roberts chat at the Antigua Recreation Ground, considering that the end of one career heralded the beginning of another. Camacho, the former West Indies opener, toured England in 1973 and in the second game of the tour, against Hampshire, came up against a fiery young Roberts.

Camacho, who batted in spectacles, went to hook a short ball and was hit in the face. He underwent an operation for a depressed fracture of the cheek and returned home without taking further part in the series. Roberts made his Test debut one year later, and established himself as one of the best bowlers within the next couple of years.

"It's something we've put behind us," says Camacho recalling the incident. "You can't look to take it personally, it's cricket and we need to acknowledge that such incidents happen." After recovering from injury, Camacho played a few seasons of first-class cricket but soon went on to become a pioneer in West Indian cricket administration. He was the West Indian board's first full-time employee and served as secretary, chief executive officer, and Test selector.

As CEO he oversaw the rise of the golden team of the '80s and, as selector, was directly involved in picking out talent for the future. "I remember watching Malcolm Marshall at the Under-19 level, where he was mainly a batsman who used to run in from five paces and bowl fast. I could see that here was a potential quick bowler. I was glad that I was a selector when Marshall made it to the West Indian side."

As manager of a near-invincible side on five tours, Camacho witnessed several historic moments; yet the moment that would rankle most is the World Cup final in 1983, when they were upstaged by India. "It was just a disaster, I can still remember tears in the dressing-room. Marshall was one of those who was particularly emotional because he had missed the World Cup final in 1979, when we won. He was the only one of the greats to have missed out on a World Cup medal."