When a bowler of the experience of Curtley Ambrose decides that
he favours bowling from the Pavilion End at the Queen's Park Oval
in Trinidad, the batsmen begin to view that end of the pitch with
extreme suspicion. Bowling from a height that is associated more
with low flying Cessnas than cricket ball delivery, Ambrose is
lethal when the pitch is two paced. The Queen's Park Oval has
provided a track that is less than ideal to bat on. In the last
few years, tracks in the West Indies have gradually become slower
and lower.
All Ambrose had to do to win the psychological battle was get one
delivery to keep low. When he came on to bowl after lunch, the
other war horse, Courtney Walsh had already put the fear of the
devil in the visitors. Getting a shooter to go through the
defenses of Grant Flower, Walsh clean bowled the one man who had
resisted the hosts. Having gotten rid of the captain, on 26, the
Windies had Zimbabwe reeling at 51 for 5. With just 99 runs to
chase, the Zimbabwe batsmen crept into a shell, fearing non
existent gremlins in the wicket.
In the past, there have been many occasions where the veterans
have laid out a solid platform, only to be let down by the second
string bowlers. That certainly was not the case yesterday.
Franklin Rose, who has been in and out of the West Indian side in
the last five years, came up with the goods when it mattered
most. Bowling a good line, right on the stumps, Rose cramped the
batsmen up for room. Ending with figures of 13-4-19-4, Rose
ripped through the visitors. Backing Rose up was Reon King
bowling straight up and down. Hitting the deck hard, King too
understood what was required of him.
However, the man who put the final nails in the Zimbabwe coffin
was Curtly Ambrose. Cleaning up a tail that never threatened to
wag, Ambrose ended with 3 wickets for 8 runs off his 11 overs.
The delight on the faces of the hosts was there for all to see as
newly appointed skipper Jimmy Adams plucked a stump out of the
ground and leapt into the air with a wide grin that simply could
not be erased.
When he picked up the man of the match award from Michael Holding
another great fast bowler, Ambrose was at his charismatic best.
Holding asked Ambrose whether he was happy with the way the
youngsters (Rose and King) had backed him up, Ambrose replied
"People say that West Indies will go through a crises when
Courtney (Walsh) and I retire. I don't agree with them. Rose and
King showed that they can pick up wickets at regular intervals.
With experience they should come through." For Ambrose to speak
of King and Rose in that manner bodes well for West Indian
cricket. When Holding asked Ambrose whether the youngsters were
ready to fill his boots, Ambrose replied "Mikey, the boys wear
size twelve and I'm a size fourteen, it will be while before they
get there!" The presentation party was in splits of laughter.
West Indies cricket looked healthy once more. Brian Lara, taking
a timely break was at the dressing room on all five days of the
match egging his team on. Perhaps it's time all those doomsday
prophets take a close look at the spirit that drives West Indian
cricket.