Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor

FLORENCE HALL, Trelawny:

INDIA'S skipper Rahul Dravid supports the International Cricket Council (ICC) move to include six associate teams in the Cricket World Cup.

They include Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, the Netherlands and Scotland.

The issue has become a hot topic following recent comments by legendary West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding who said only the top associate countries should have qualified for the tournament, reasoning that the hammerings they are likely to receive could do more harm than aid the development for which they are designed.

"I think the associate nations should be here at this World Cup. I think they add a lot of character and charm to the event," Dravid told journalists after his team's comprehensive 182-run victory over the Netherlands in its first warm-up match on Tuesday at the multi-purpose stadium in Trelawny.

India scored 300 for nine off the allotted 50 overs, then brushed off a lame Dutch reply, skittling them out for 118 in 37.4 overs and two hours and 46 minutes.

"I think you've got 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 actually play this game and I think if you don't encourage them and if you don't give them an opportunity in an event like the World Cup, then what's the incentive for them to actually keep playing the game with so much hardships," Dravid argued.

Do more to spur growth

Pointing to other sacrifices made by players in the unranked cricket-playing, the Indian middle-order batsman says the ICC should actually do more than it is currently to spur their growth.

"A lot of them are amateurs and taketime off from work to stop and play the game and to keep the game alive in their countries.

"I think the ICC has got to do a lot to help them, not only give them an opportunity in a tournament like this, but try and ensure, identify four or five nations outside the top eight or nine teams and ensure that you can get them up to a standard and coerce them with the facilities and training and games and ensure that you can make them semi-professionals in some way which will help them improve their standards."

Defending his team's place at the party, the Dutch team's captain, Luuk van Troost, gave Dravid the thumbs-up and pointed to the assistance they get from the sport's governing body.

"First of all, I was very happy with the answer from Rahul (Dravid) and it's really supportive for us," van Troost said.

"It makes me very glad if I hear things like that. Everybody knows how Sri Lanka did 20 years ago and where they are now at the moment, so that's what we're looking at. We're putting a lot of time and energy into it and our raising our game. Absolutely, we deserve to be here. We qualified, so we have the right to be here and I'm sure we'll show it in the rest of the tournament, we'll show that we deserve to be here."