AS much as Bermuda?s cricketers will have welcomed the surprise $11 million package handed out by Government last week, they?ll be acutely aware that with the extra cash comes extra pressure.

If the eyes of a nation weren?t already on a team whose summer success story has lifted spirits, raised expectations and filled with pride even the most peripheral of cricket supporters, then they can expect even closer scrutinisation as they embark on this week?s Intercontinental Cup semi-final against Kenya in Namibia.

As skipper Clay Smith readily admitted, the faith that Government have shown in the team in the form of last week?s massive financial injection puts added responsibility on each and every player, both on and off the field.

They?ve got exactly what they asked for and the onus is now on those talented and committed enough to have earned selection to the national squad to ensure that it?s money well spent.

They?ll be aware that they?re now the envy of every other sporting body on the Island. What wouldn?t any of those organisations give to earn the same kind of hand-out?

And, equally, they?ll realise not everyone, cricket fan or otherwise, is on their side.

The ?told-you-so? brigade will be in the wings, eagerly awaiting failure to justify their criticism of wasted tax-payers? money.

Such cynicism, of course, might not be misplaced.

Given the social issues that haven?t been addressed as some would have liked, and the allegations of financial mismanagement and corruption that have blighted this Government, investing such a hefty chunk of the annual budget into a single sport was always going to raise eyebrows.

Yet much like today?s highly-paid European soccer players, who flit from one team to another with price tags similar to those on a fleet of private jets, Bermuda?s cricketers can?t allow their new-found wealth to affect the way they play.

Their responsibility is simply to play to the best of their ability, to show the same enthusiasm, passion and camaraderie that contributed so much to the success in both Ireland and Canada earlier this year, and to uphold the spirit of the game.

Once they step onto the field against Kenya on Sunday, the money invested in their future last week shouldn?t make one iota of difference.

But, of course, it will.

The pressure to succeed will increase with every game leading up to the 2007 World Cup.

And how they deal with that pressure could very well determine their fate.

Kenya, a seasoned World Cup side with some impressive scalps to their credit, will likely provide the toughest opposition this particular band of Bermuda players have ever encountered.

If Gus Logie?s men triumph again, the accolades will continue to come their way.

But if they fail, there has to be an acceptance here and in Namibia that all those involved in the national squad are in it for the long haul.

No amount of money will buy immediate success, nor guarantee it in the years to come.

Win or lose against Kenya, the match has to be seen as an opportunity to learn against more internationally experienced opponents and take that experience into their next match.

First class cricket is what most of Bermuda?s top players have been dreaming of for years.

They?ve earned the right to play against the best, they?ve won the support of the country. If they can handle the added pressure, they and the rest of Bermuda could be in for the ride of a lifetime.

We wish them well.