With the three-day ICC Intercontinental Cup competition fast approaching, the Island?s cricketers should be receiving more exposure to the longer version of the game, according to Cup Match legend and inaugural Sports Hall of Fame inductee Clarence Parfitt.

Parfitt, believed by many to be the greatest bowler in Cup Match history, rewrote the record books when he starred for St. George?s from the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s before heading off to play professionally at Arbroath Cricket Club, where he is now vice-president.

Bermuda are set to play against the USA on July 13 in their opening three-day match of the first class tournament comprised of associate member teams from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas regions. The Island will then travel to Toronto on August 13 to take on Canada in their final regional match.

The ICC?s leading three associate countries from four regions will play two regional three-day matches with the top team from each region advancing to the semi-final and final stages to be held in the United Arab Emirates in November.

?This (two-day cricket) is something that we should have been playing a long time ago. We should?ve been playing more two-day cricket a lot sooner rather than just playing three two-day matches before the competition (Intercontinental Cup) starts,? said Parfitt this week.

?To start so late and then expect people after three matches to play two-day cricket . . . the Bermuda Cricket Board must have known since last year this was coming up and so this should?ve been at the top of their list. We should have been playing two-day cricket for at least four or five rounds so that the boys could get an idea of bowling and batting for longer periods ? just like in Cup Match.?

He added: ?You can?t prepare for an international competition with only three matches. We should?ve had all of our top players playing two-day cricket against each other during the winter months, and then picked our national team from that. But by playing only three two-day league matches you could get a really strong team playing against a weaker team that goes out there and blasts the game away. Now will the players have learned anything from that??

Present during last weekend?s series of Belco Cup matches at Lord?s, Parfitt also offered a brief summary on the shorter version of the local game.

?We have yet to grasp the fundamentals of limited overs cricket. All we are trying to do is hit the ball outside of the park. Far too many balls are being hit in the air and not on the ground in search of the singles,? he noted.

?The bowling isn?t good on both sides of the wicket while the player?s discipline and fitness didn?t look too good either. I think Western Stars? fielding was by far the best over the two days. They seemed to be a bit more disciplined as far as the bowling and field placing was concerned. But I think we still need to work on a combination of things because the basics of one-day cricket are not being utilised here.?

In a spectacular Cup Match debut in 1965, Parfitt mesmerised opposing batsmen, snapping up seven for 20 in the first innings and eight for 23 in the second. In 1976, he nearly bowled out the entire Somerset team, seizing astonishing figures of nine for 47 in the first innings.

Parfitt later duplicated that feat at Lord?s, the home of cricket, pocketing nine wickets for 128 runs while representing Stenhousemuir against the MCC.

He heads back to Scotland tomorrow where he will resume preparing Scotland?s Under-15 national team for the upcoming European Championship to be held in Denmark next month.

Scotland, meanwhile, take on Holland in the UK on June 13 in the opening match of their ICC Intercontinental Cup match.