JOHANNESBURG, Feb 17: With the cricket World Cup taking a time out from matches on Monday, the tournament’s bowlers had a welcome chance to lick their wounds.

The batsmen have certainly held the upper hand in the first 14 matches, with seven meaty centuries.

The bowlers, in response, have managed a mere three five-wicket hauls, all against minor sides.

To put the batting into context, there were only 11 hundreds in the entire 1999 World Cup and there are still 38 games to go before the 2003 final.

Craig Wishart’s 172 not out off 151 deliveries against Namibia in Harare is the highest score so far.

But for sheer quality under pressure, the performances of Andrew Symonds (143 not out), Stephen Fleming (134 not out), Brian Lara (116) and Sanath Jayasuriya (120) stand out.

Symonds had only scored two fifties in 38 one-day innings for Australia when he walked out to the crease against Pakistan at the Wanderers a week ago, with the world champions wobbling on 86 for four. He walked off to a standing ovation from his team mates 125 balls later.

Fleming’s innings came against South Africa in a game New Zealand could not afford to lose. Herschelle Gibbs’s 143 earlier in the game had been quickly eclipsed.

Lara’s century, meanwhile, came after a long run of injuries. It also came in a pressure-cooker first game of the tournament in Cape Town, again against South Africa.

Jayasuriya also made his 120 against the New Zealanders in a key match at Bloemfontein. Scott Styris responded with 141 for the Kiwis in a losing cause.

Significantly, Jayasuriya’s is the only century yet posted by an Asian batsman at the tournament.—Reuters