One of the most powerful men in cricket politics has warned the Bermuda Cricket Board they must run the local game ?better than they do in bigger countries? if Bermuda are to retain their position as one of the world?s top 16 teams.

International Cricket Council chief executive Malcolm Speed flew to the Island on Tuesday for four days of meetings with the BCB, saying yesterday he was ?very impressed? with what he had seen and heard despite a ?skeleton staff?.

Speed, who hails from Australia, has been the CEO of the world governing body for six years after a lengthy spell at the helm of the Australian Cricket Board.

?Bermuda is one of the success stories of world cricket,? he said.

?I was delighted when you qualified for the World Cup in Ireland to become one of the top 16 teams and for such a small country to have the opportunity to compete against some of the biggest countries on the world stage I think is fantastic.

?Your first match in the World Cup is against India, who have a population of 1.1 billion, compared to Bermuda?s 60,000 people, which means that for every one Bermudian there are something like 20,000 Indians.

?All of that disappears though when the players step onto the cricket field. Bermuda has been presented with a very difficult draw in the World Cup but what we are hoping to see is that the Associate member countries have bridged the gap and that there will be a surprise or two.

?During my time here I?ve been very encouraged to see that the Bermuda Cricket Board takes a strategic rather than an operational view of cricket governance.

?If Bermuda is to stay in the top 16 it?s important to maximise the effectiveness of the processes put in place. Talent spotting is absolutely crucial because in bigger countries, if a few talented players slip through the cracks, there are plenty more to choose from but in a place like Bermuda where the pool of players is a lot smaller you cannot afford to miss anybody.

?That?s why it is so pleasing to see the processes are in place for Bermuda?s Under-19, Under-15 and Under-13 teams because you have to make the most of player development.?

The ICC?s decision to expand the number of teams in the World Cup to include more Associate member countries is a controversial topic in world cricket, with the likes of Australian captain Ricky Ponting suggesting on more than one occasion that the number of potential mis-matches would cheapen the game and lower the entertainment value.

Speed, however, who has always been a passionate defender of the new policy, insisted it was the ICC?s duty to grow the game in terms of popularity and participation levels.

He admitted the gap in standard between Associate and Full members was still a large one ? but he argued that with continued investment and patience it would gradually close.

?I am very pleased that we have 16 teams in the World Cup,? he said.

?It is so important for world cricket to expand its base. In the 1980s we only had six Test-playing countries and now we have expanded that number it?s crucial that we keep expanding into other territories.

?There are those who say that we should keep the top table open only for Test-playing countries but in my opinion that would be a terribly backward move. It?s certainly not unusual in other sports for the top-ranked team to be significantly better than the 16th team ? that is the nature of sport.

?It?s our job to try and help close that gap, which we have already started doing through significantly increased investment in the top Associate member countries, who have also been granted One Day International status which affords them the right to walk onto the field with some the world?s best teams.

?This year there will be something like 100 One Day Internationals involving Associates, and we?ve already seen the likes of Scotland take on Pakistan and Ireland play England ? and they?ve acquitted themselves very well.

?I?m confident that one or more of the Associates involved in the World Cup will do very well and if that team is Bermuda, then that would be terrific.?