When you talk about fast bowling, your thoughts turn to the great West Indian arsenal of the Seventies and Eighties. Within that, two men, Michael Holding and Andy Roberts, provided the most varied and deadly combination. After meeting during 12th man duties in regional first-class cricket, they spent their future taking turns terrifying batsmen. Ed Kemp spoke to them about their partnership.

Tell us a little bit about the relationship you two have on and off the field…

Michael Holding: We were friends before we started playing for the West Indies. The first time we met was when he was 12th man for the Combined Islands, as his team was called then [later the Leeward Islands of which Roberts’ Antigua was a part would split from the Windward Islands to create two separate teams], and I was 12th man for Jamaica. We were sat on the bench at Sabina Park, watching the game and chatting. Then the next day we both played for our respective islands.

Andy Roberts: We have remained true and loyal friends even to this day. We speak on a regular basis and more often than not, the subject is cricket. We shared some great moments on and off the field. Towards the end or from the middle of our careers we were roommates and a lot of planning went on in that room because we didn’t have the luxury of video replays. What we had was memory.

MH: As Andy lost his pace, he recognised that he had to develop other things. I remember him getting one of the Indians with a slower ball in Jamaica once. And in those days, in the early Eighties, you didn’t find a lot of slow balls being bowled in Test match cricket. Andy even developed two types of bouncers.

AR: Once a batsman gets accustomed to one pace then it’s very difficult for you to upset them. But if you vary the pace – and it’s always good for a batsman to feel comfortable when he plays a shot – the next bouncer would be one to make him uncomfortable. So it’s always a lot faster than the first one. And, you know, it is so easy. So many people have said to me, “How do you do it?” But it’s so easy.

Did the way Andy’s career ended bring the partnership – on the field at least – to a premature conclusion?

AR: I thought I could have played on for another two years and it was sad. There are many reasons that come to me as to why I was sent home from that tour to India. And it had absolutely nothing to do with cricket or my performances because the season before, I was the leading wicket-taker in the Caribbean. And I hardly played any matches in India, except for the last two and I think I ended up getting five or six wickets in the two Test matches and we won the series. It was to do with something other than cricket.

MH: The way Andy’s career ended was unfortunate, I think. He missed out on much in India because of illness and he struggled to get back in. And I’m not too sure that he should have [missed out]. But such is life. I think when you have two people who are sharing something, whether it be opening the batting or opening the bowling, and you have a good relationship with each other, I think it helps a great deal. We certainly had that. Not had, have.