Tony Becca

ALTHOUGH IT is only warm-up matches and not the real thing, the World Cup of cricket is under way and so far things are not looking good - neither off the field nor on it.

Although one wonders why, the organisers, based on the number of volunteers, the cost of admission, the cost of parking, the cost to vendors and the presence of a band, seem to have expected huge crowds for the warm-up games and with the West Indies playing India a fair-sized crowd may be on hand today.

So far, however, it has been disappointing - very disappointing.

For two of the three days at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium, there were more workers, probably even more cricketers and journalists, than spectators in the ground.

The real thing starts on Tuesday, before that there is the opening ceremony on Sunday and without knowing who to believe as far as the ticket sales are concerned, with the cost of admission so high - and definitely so for the average Jamaican, hopefully the fans will turn out and make this World Cup a truly memorable affair.

Regardless of how well organised the event is, regardless of how good, how exciting the action on the field is, the fans need to turn out and the stands need to be packed to provide the atmosphere which such an event deserves.

Based on the warm-up matches to date, however, the attendance during the first round of the World Cup may not be much different from what, so far, has taken place during the warm-up matches.

In Jamaica, for example, it would not be surprising if the only match, apart from the semi-final, that attracts any kind of crowd is the West Indies/Pakistan encounter.

Based on the standard of the other two teams, it is difficult to see the fans paying their hard-earned cash to see the West Indies against Zimbabwe and Ireland, Pakistan against Zimbabweand Ireland, and more so, Zimbabwe versus Ireland.

With five weak teams, Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands and Scotland, in the World Cup, there are going to be a number of matches of little interest to the spectators and with the contest really on in the second round, in the Super Eights, there are going to be a number of empty stadiums in the first round.

Strongly criticised

Michael Holding has been strongly criticised for saying so, an in some respects I do not agree with him because, having had a qualifying tournament, I do not see what the ICC can do to prevent it, a team like Bermuda really does not deserve to be in a tournament like the World Cup.

Some of the reasons why I do not agree with Holding are because of the need to expose weak teams to strong competition, because of the performance of a team like Nepal at the Youth World Cup, and the need to provide an opportunity for them to expose their young, talented players - something to motivate them to continue playing the game.

The question which I have to ask, however, is this: do players so old really need to be motivated? And if so for what purpose?

Although all five teams had to qualify, it seems a waste of time and money to have teams with players so old, some of them getting worse and worse instead of better and better, playing, for example, against Australia, South Africa, India and the West Indies.

I would have no problem, even if they lost every match, as the West Indies did in the early days, if those teams comprised youngsters or youngsters with a few older players. At least one could look to the day when, like the West Indies, they are matured and are playing well.

In contrast to youngsters or youngsters with a few oldsters, the weak teams at this World Cup comprised many old players with a few young players. All five teams parade more players who are nearer to 40 than to 20.

For Your Information ...

For those who do not know, with two of them on 37, Scotland have seven players over30, with one of them 39 and two 37, the Netherlands have seven players over 30, Ireland have seven players over 30, with two of them 40 and one 39, Canada have seven players over 30 and none under 25, and with one 37, two 36, two 35 and two 34, 10 of Bermuda's 15 players are over 30.

Maybe, if he was a diplomat, Holding would not have said what he said - and especially so if he remembered that Jamaica has been to big events like the World Cup of football and the World Table Tennis Championships where they have been numbered among the weak teams.

Weak teams with a future, however, are different from weak teams without a future, an there will always be weak teams, even though exposure is part of the development process, the ICC has to find a way of protecting the standard of the World Cup.

While one or two others of the five probably should not be in the World Cup of cricket, Bermuda, for many reasons, definitely should not be there - and the reasons have nothing to do with the fact that they were destroyed for 45 by England in their warm-up on Monday.

The reasons have to do with the age of most of their players and the physical shape of some of them.