Wanted: raw pace

Edwards and Taylor promise to turn it on, while veterans Bradshaw and Collymore plan to keep other end tight

It8217;s the million-dollar question of West Indian cricket. After Ambrose-Walsh, who? A lot of new faces tried to fill in that vacuum, they all failed, that great legacy of fast bowling was stuttering into uncertainty. Then what happened?

Fidel Edwards, one of the fastest bowlers in the world now, admits to waking up each morning and trying to figure out how to measure up to that legacy. 8220;We have a reputation of producing fast bowlers. I wake up every morning thinking it8217;s my responsibility to live up to it,8221; he says. And the route he chose: bang the ball in the right areas, do it hard and fast.

8220;I have this huge urge within me to compete with Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee, try and clock the 100mph mark, but at the same time I have to be consistent,8221; he says. 8220;This is the first time I am here in India and I have heard that the wickets will be flat but I don8217;t mind taking a chance with a few short ones and going flat out.8221;

Edwards, though, is just one face of the new West Indies pace team. Together, they may not generate the same fear among batsmen that made Roberts, Garner, Holding, Marshall, Ambrose, Walsh legends, but the quartet of Edwards, Jerome Taylor, Corey Collymore and Ian Bradshaw has given back some of the penetration the team has missed so badly over the last few years. Ask the Indians, who faced some stick in the Caribbean this June.

Taylor is not far-off matching Edwards for pace. Groomed by Walsh, the 22-year-old also realises that there are 8220;some legacies he has to carry forward8221;. 8220;Fast bowling is not easy. It8217;s not just running in quick, there8217;s a lot of things that come into account, the wicket, the conditions, what situation you are in.

8220;Most importantly, one should know what to do with the ball. Bowling quick on Indian wickets isn8217;t going to be easy, and I will have to first settle down. We have three matches to go before we get into the main phase of Champions Trophy, but if I see any little chance, I wouldn8217;t hesitate to turn it on,8221; says Taylor.

And then between the searing pace of Edwards and Taylor, stands the Big Brother. Corey Collymore may not be the fastest on the field but off it he plays the mentor to this young herd. 8220;He8217;s like my big brother, I have learnt a lot from him,8221; says Taylor. 8220;I go into the nets with him and we work out a lot of things, he adds. Edwards too says 8220;it8217;s comforting when you have a figure like him in the team8221;.

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Says the other veteran in the team, left-armer Ian Bradshaw: 8220;Basically, between me and Collymore, we have played a lot of international matches and we try and share the knowledge with the younger crop. I am there to lend experience to the attack, bowl a few economical overs so that bowlers from the other end can attack a bit more, be more aggressive. That way, I compliment my mates well,8221; he says.

Bradshaw8217;s spells have often given Edwards and Taylor, the quickest but the most erratic of the five-prolonged pace attack, some leeway in a one-day match. 8220;Yes, there have been times when I have gone haywire, but Ian has always allowed us some leeway in not getting the opposition to get away from us,8221; says Edwards.

And of course, all the four look up to Brian Lara as the 8220;link to bridge the gap from those famous yesteryears to the present generation8221;. And they know how crucial they are to Lara8217;s plans.