Cammie Smith is the perfect ancestor for the modern-day West Indies batsman. He wasn’t the most consistent of players but when it was his day, he could single-handedly blow the opposition away with his strokeplay. Smith loved to feast on fast bowling and could send them to any part of the ground at will when on song. However, he wasn’t so efficient against slow bowling and often found it difficult to cope with any kind of spin that was thrown at him. In First-class cricket, Smith had a moderate record that looked impressive when you consider his style of play. In Tests though, he couldn’t replicate the same level of gameplay as his weaknesses were exploited heavily by opponents rather early in his career. After retirement, he went on to become an ICC match referee and was also a renowned administrator. He also worked as a salesman for an insurance firm.

Written by Hariprasad Sadanandan