KEY POINTS:
It's not every top-order batsman who can look forward to another good tour of the West Indies.
More like the Killing Fields during the 1980s and 1990s - when the Windies carried the most fearsome pace attack in the world - the region was as well known for its accident toll as it was for its beaches and reggae music.
England bulldog Mike Gatting probably received the most publicised injury, during the first one-dayer at Sabina Park in 1986, when his tour was ended by a vicious Malcolm Marshall bouncer that shattered the bridge of his nose.
The story goes that when Gatting had been carried off and the ball was transferred to Marshall for the resumption of hostilities, the West Indian paceman first had to pull a fragment of bone out of the leather.
It also led to the much-celebrated question at Heathrow Airport, when a black and blue Gatting - both eyes near shut and his nose an unrecognisable mash - was asked by a reporter to identify where the ball had struck him.
Gatting is but one of a stream of visiting batsmen who suffered broken bones during those years in the Caribbean, and New Zealand have their own nomination in Jeremy Coney - who had his arm smashed in several places by Joel Garner in 1985.
But for New Zealand's World Cup batsman Scott Styris, the thought of another campaign in the West Indies is music to his ears, and something he's been looking forward to since the squad was confirmed last month.
Styris has more reason than most to lick his lips in anticipation. He made a test century on debut during New Zealand's history-making tour in 2002 and then made a successful move up the batting order during the one-dayers, paving the way for the front-line position he now holds.
Having batted at No 8 and 9 up until that tour, he made a good fist of a promotion to six and seven, scoring 85 in the second ODI at Gros Islet and an unbeaten 63 in the fourth match at Port of Spain.
"I've got good memories from the tour of the West Indies in 2002 when I made a century on test debut," he said from Barbados, where New Zealand are preparing for their first World Cup match against England.
"In the one-dayers I had an opportunity to bat higher up the order and did pretty well, and I guess that's where I first persuaded the skipper and the selectors that I could play a front-line batting role."
Within a season Styris had made the No 4 position his own and had cemented his place in the squad for the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, where New Zealand's campaign foundered on the back of their decision to forfeit a match against Kenya on security grounds.
But for Styris, the tournament was a reasonable one, starting with an exceptional 140 not out against Sri Lanka and - with the help of a couple of decent scores against Bangladesh and Canada - ending with a World Cup average of 53.60.
He heads into this month's campaign feeling comfortable about his tournament potential, but a little anxious about his form following a back injury earlier in the season, and an enforced lay-off that cost him most of the tri-series in Australia.
"My form's there or thereabouts," he said. "I was quite happy when I came back into the side but I think I need to get more up to speed with the intensity of the game, more than anything.
"There's a massive jump in intensity between our domestic cricket and here, and I've felt a bit off the pace, if anything.
"So I'm looking forward to making the most of this build-up and making a real contribution when the tournament starts."
Styris is suspicious about the conditions that he and his team-mates might find once the tournament proper starts next Friday against England, but said he'd be happy if the newly laid pitches continued to play low and slow.
Most of the grounds at each tournament venue have received makeovers and freshly laid pitch blocks, creating an element of uncertainty about what style of play - and subsequently which personnel - will be the most effective.
"The conditions over here tend to suit my game," he said. "The pitches are a little low and slow and they also tend to stop and turn a bit - which is conducive to what I try to do with the ball. I feel I should be able to make a good contribution.
"Having said that, they've got a whole lot of new grounds over here now and the pitches are pretty much an unknown quantity.
"There's a suggestion that they'll still be low and slow but I haven't seen too many new surfaces play that way. We'll just have to wait and see."
