WHILE some in the cricketing world question whether minnows like Bermuda belong in the World Cup, many of the world’s best players and coaches are happy to have the Associate members compete for the sport’s biggest prize.This week Sri Lanka’s captain Mahela Jayawardene, India’s captain Rahul Dravid, New Zealand’s skipper Stephen Fleming along with Pakistan’s coach Bob Woolmer and South Africa’s coach Mickey Arthur all came out in support of Bermuda and other Associate countries being included in the World Cup in the West Indies.

Jayawardene said: “It’s healthy for cricket (to have these teams playing here). That’s how we’ve reached the standard we have now. If we hadn’t been given the opportunity 20 years ago, we probably wouldn’t have been here. In our point of view, that’s how teams would get exposure and would get experience.”

Indian captain Dravid agreed.

He said that the minnows should be playing in the World Cup — this despite India’s demolition of Holland by 182 runs in a warm-up game at the Trelawny Stadium in Jamaica on Tuesday.

Dravid said the ICC Associate nations, who don’t play Tests, add a lot of character and charm to the event, and they must be rewarded for spreading the game in their countries.

“I think you have to encourage them to play, and having myself played a season in Scotland, I know the difficulties the Associate nations and their players go through to play this game,” said Dravid. “What’s the incentive for them to play the game with such hardships? Many of the players are amateurs, and take time off from work to play the game and keep it alive in their countries, so I think the International Cricket Council has to do a lot to help them, and not just give them opportunities in tournaments like this.

“The ICC has to identify four or five nations outside of the top eight or nine, and ensure that they can get them up to a standard and provide them with the facilities, training, and games to ensure that they are — at least — semi-professional which will help them improve their standard.”

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly also came out in support of minnows like Bermuda.

“It is the duty of stronger teams to support these teams to do better. If you do not play against these teams, they will not get exposure.”

Bermuda’s coach Gus Logie said: “There has been a bit of talk about that down here (whether the Associates belong). People want to see a contest at the end of the day. Some feel that the Associates will not give the Full Members a contest and judging by the scores you would have seen it may be that they are right. But that is not really the issue. The issue is about giving people the opportunity. Yes there is a big gap between the Full Members and Associates but people need to give the players this opportunity — it will help spread the game. I suppose that is a selfish view but one of the reasons why the game has not spread as much as it should have is that people have not been given the chance.

“Just look at soccer which is worldwide and cricket which only has eight countries (Full Members). If we want the game to spread and people around the world to love the game then you have to be conscious of the smaller countries and expose them more.

“If Trinidad had not been given the opportunity they would not have made it to the (football) World Cup last summer. And you saw the outpouring of support they had and they did well in Germany. It was a big dream for everybody. Those players will remember that for the rest of their lives.

“And now you have seen what Sluggo (Dwayne Leverock) has been able to do against England — it could be a change in his life.”

West Indies great Michael Holding caused a bit of a storm when he said Bermuda and other Associate members should not be mixing it up with the big boys at the World Cup. “It’s not good for cricket,” he said.

Holding ironically made his comments in Bermuda — the day after being the keynote speaker at World Cup Banquet last month.

The former pace bowler turned TV commentator, said that only the top-ranked Associate country in the world should be allowed to take part as opposed to the top six as is the case now.

“I don’t believe the World Cup should go on for as long as it does (almost two months) and that is partly because there are far too many teams in the competition who are not good enough to be there. I simply do not believe that if you come fourth in the ICC Trophy that you should be entitled to play in the World Cup. “It doesn’t make sense to me. What is gained by a team playing in the World Cup and getting absolutely hammered? In my opinion it is counter-productive. What I believe should happen is that all the non-Test playing nations should continue to play amongst themselves, to have their own competition where only the top-ranked country goes through to the World Cup.”

And he was not alone in slamming the inclusion of the minnows of the world.

Australia’s captain Ricky Ponting is another who doesn’t like the idea of Bermuda competing saying that he doubted if having second-tier cricket teams in the World Cup “does the game any good”.

Ponting said he could remember playing against the USA during the 2004 Champions Trophy in England, when Australia bowled the Americans out for 65 and reached one for 66 in 7.5 overs.

“I’ve always felt there are probably places and times for minnow nations to be playing. I’m not sure if the World Cup is one of those times,” the World Cup-winning skipper said.

“I’ve never been a great fan for having those countries in. I know in the Champions Trophy, we played USA in the first game and I think we got the runs in six overs! So I’m not sure if they learned too much about that and I don’t think it does the game any good.”

Reuters columnist Pritha Sarkar agreed with Ponting and Holding. In his column from the Caribbean yesterday Sarkar wrote: “The opening delivery of the World Cup will not be bowled for another five days but Bermuda have already shown that the tournament is no place for cricketing minnows to hone their craft.

“England’s 241-run victory over them in a warm-up match on Monday highlighted the risk of allowing a record six non-Test playing nations into this year’s event.

“Sixteen teams will vie for the greatest prize in one-day cricket but only eight have a realistic chance of winning. The big eight are champions Australia, top-ranked South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, England, New Zealand and hosts West Indies.

“Although Zimbabwe and Bangladesh are full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), their hopes of progressing past the first round are slim.

“But even Zimbabwe and Bangladesh loom as giants over ICC associate members Kenya, the Netherlands, Scotland, Bermuda, Canada and Ireland.”

However Sri Lanka’s captain Jayawardene remembered when his country was also considered a minnow. That is until they won the World Cup in 1996.

“1996 changed Sri Lankan cricket completely. Before that, we were just considered minnows,” he said.

New Zealand’s captain Stephen Fleming said the inclusion of the Associate members provided a good mix.

“You’ve got an attraction for the developing teams to look forward to,” said Fleming adding that he thought the quality of cricket from the minnows is “improving quite dramatically”.

He said: “There’s always one or two upsets . . . we’ve seen that in every World Cup and I don’t see that changing.”

Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer said: “All those Associate sides have been working very hard. What we call the banana-skin sides are better prepared that they were for the last World Cup.”

South African coach Mickey Arthur whose side were given a scare by Associate member Ireland this week in a warm-up, said: “Full marks to Ireland. They’re competitive with bat, ball and they’re very competitive in the field. I really believe that they certainly could give some of those bigger teams a run for their money.”

Bermuda however received a rude awakening in their first warm-up game against England on Monday. Although they fielded and bowled fairly well Bermuda were rocked when it came time to bat eventually only scoring 45 runs all out in just over 22 overs.

That batting performance caused former Australian player and now commentator Greg Blewett to say: “The are a despondent looking team — maybe a little embarrassed. Bermuda are not equipped to compete at this level.”

But Dougie Brown — the Warwickshire and former England all-rounder who has returned to the ranks of his native Scotland — is convinced the Associates must be given every encouragement and that the old elite will damage the game if it acts like a closed shop.

“I’m sure, over the course of the World Cup, you will see a performance from one of the Associates that will make people sit up and take notice,” Brown said. “People are being very shortsighted if they think the game can only exist in the Caribbean, Australia or England, or among the full Test-playing nations. It has to evolve and it needs to be global. It took New Zealand 20-odd years to win a Test match.

“Teams have to start somewhere and need the opportunity to play at the top level to get better.”

Bermuda’s big hitting batsman Lionel Cann agreed saying: “There are 96 countries that are Associates and members. The dream of playing in the World Cup is an incentive for them.”

When asked if the Associate countries deserve to be in the World Cup, Scotland all-rounder Gavin Hamilton reacted angrily saying: “Lesser countries need an incentive to keep developing — if you take that away how will they ever get better?”

Hamilton — a former Yorkshire player who competed for Scotland at the 1999 World Cup — added: “All it takes is one good performance from an Associate nation and suddenly everyone will sit up and take notice. These sides now have some first-class cricketers — they’re not pub sides. I don’t think many of the so-called new cricketing nations are quite ready for Test cricket but in one-day cricket it’s anybody’s game and heroes are made.”

Of Holding’s views, Hamilton said: “I got very annoyed by his comments — I certainly don’t agree.”

Holland’s captain, Luuk van Troost, was glad for the support of his Indian counterpart.

After India beat Holland this week in a warm-up, the Dutchman said: “Everybody knows where Sri Lanka cricket was about 20 or so years ago, but look at where they are today. This is our goal. We are putting a lot of time and energy into it, and we are looking at raising our game each and every time we take the field.