Restriction on the number of "Minnows" in an ICC event

Just before the start of the world cup 2011, there have been speculations regarding the number of minnows who should be playing at the International event. These speculations could become a reality if the lesser teams under perform. As a cricket lover, its always exciting to watch a new nation create an upset over a better skilled nation. Countries like Ireland, Netherlands, Canada are all new to the international scene. The exposure they get compared to the big teams is considerably very low. Teams like  Zimbabwe, Kenya are  going through a transition. These teams need to be given sufficient time to prove themselves at the big stage. The ICC instead of putting a lot of pressure on such teams, should encourage them. These teams have a lot of individual talent to showcase, they only have to be guided in the right path. The ICC needs to accommodate these teams into tri-series along with  two big teams. They might under perform, but it allows them to gain sufficient exposure which is going to improve there mental skills and the attitude to handle pressure at different situations.Cricket isn't an age old sport in these countries. It is relatively new, the only way more talent is going to come out is by encouraging these teams to play at the highest level. We have seen in India, post IPL there has been an abundant talent of names and they are ready to play at the international level simply because of the fact that they have had the opportunity to play amongst the best in the world and learn there tricks. Sri Lanka is one example, they weren't a big force in world cricket two decades back, playing more cricket against the better teams then, today they are a big force to reckon with. Another team that comes into mind is Bangladesh, they were also tagged as Minnows, but they have risen to the next level with convincing performances against New Zealand and other big upsets.

We all want to watch  more competitive cricket. The initial few matches of this edition of the WC which had the minnows haven't helped the cause as there have been dismal performances. The easy way out is to put a  restriction on the number of such teams, but its not going to help the overall game. If cricket is to become a popular sport all over the world, smaller teams have to be encouraged. Lets hope that there are more than a few upsets in this edition of the WC.