It is quite amazing to watch the two West Indian stalwarts, Curtly Amrose and Courtney Walsh, bowling with undiminshed zeal and effectiveness year after year - and that too with unflinching devotion.While some of the bowlers playing in this World Cup have been blaming the extra lacquer on the white balls for the excess of wides, these two gentle giants, in their own quite way, have been ripping through the top order of the world's best teams with alarming regularity and without much ado.I have yet to see them bowl a poor line or length in this World Cup. Monday was no different. After losing the toss, the New Zealanders found the going tough in the face of some top class bowling by the Windies speedsters. The other bowlers were also inspired by Walsh and Ambrose and bowled superbly.The wicket too was helpful in terms of bounce. It is the same Southampton ground where Malcolm Marshall, as a professional, bamboozled batsmen by sheer pace for a number of years in the '80s. Compared to other venues it iss a small ground, and the wicket has always produced quality cricket.I suspect some players from the other teams do not take the present crop of West Indian bowlers seriously. But they are not to be taken lightly, including Rion King, who is fast emerging as a top class bowler.Unfortunately for the New Zealanders, they could not forge a single partnership that could really trouble the West Indies. Nevertheless, Adam Parore did indulge in some bold hitting and with Chris Harris holding fort at the other end, it helped the Kiwis to recover somewhat.For New Zealand, Chris Cairns bowled sharp and with a fair amount of aggression. But much to their dismay, the top order of the West Indies, although inexperienced, survived. All the same, the Kiwis made their opponents work hard for their runs by bowling and fielding admirably. The arrival of Lara, however, changed the scenario as he unleashed some terrific shots which made things easier for his side.I've noticed a lot of verbal volleys going on between batsmen and bowlers during this World Cup. On Monday, it was Cairns who started it when Ridley Jacobs was batting, and on Sunday it was Shoaib Akhtar who gave Steve Waugh a mouthful which, of course, was not reported by the umpire. While feelings run high and tempers can get frayed, the players would do well not to let things get out of hand. We don't want any ugly scene marring the showpiece of international cricket, do we?
