The International Cricket Council?s Regional Development Manager for the Americas has expressed his ?concern? with the current format of Bermudian cricket, arguing that playing solely limited overs matches is seriously hindering the Island?s development as a cricketing nation.

Martin Vieira has been on the Island since Saturday as a guest of Bermuda Cricket Board, looking at arrangements for Bermuda?s scheduled hosting of the Americas Cup in July next year and discussing local cricket development issues with Board officials.

?We are worried about countries like Bermuda and Canada playing strictly limited overs cricket,? said Vieira.

?The consensus at the ICC is still that you have to play the longer form of the game before you start playing limited overs in order to adequately develop your cricketers.

?We are constantly advising countries who are ambitious and want to improve that they have to take a very serious look at making sure their cricketers are playing the longer form of the game because we at the ICC believe that this is the answer to creating better quality cricket.?

?If countries like Bermuda want to take the game seriously,? he continued, ?and want one day to play with the big boys, then somehow implementing the longer form of the game will be a very important part of that development process.?

Asked what role the ICC would take in trying to foster such change, Vieira said that although the world governing body had no intention of ?interfering? with local decision-making, they would try to make a case for how the structure could be improved.

?We have an input in just about everything which affects the game. That is our role. But we are always cautious not to interfere with the internal processes of a country and we can only hope the advice that we do offer will be taken on board. However, local conditions will in the end dictate what can be implemented.?

The introduction to local cricket of some form of the game played over more than one day is seen by some in Bermuda as a crucial step in the Island?s cricketing evolution, particularly given that Bermuda is committed to taking part in the newly created Intercontinental Cup next year, an international competition of three-day matches to be played between associate members of the ICC.

Vieira admitted, however, that there were further questions which still needed to be answered, such as how small cricket playing nations like Bermuda were ever going to be able to financially compensate their top players, all of whom are amateurs and who would be required to take significantly more time off work.

The BCB?s task in this regard has not been made any easier by the ICC?s decision to slash funding to its associate members by more than half since last year. This move was brought on in the face of a multi-million dollar lawsuit brought against them by the Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), the company in charge of the last World Cup in South Africa, over a variety of disputed commercial issues.

?I realise that finance is still very much a problem,? said Vieira.

?But in Kenya for example they have dealt with this problem by securing sponsorship with a local brewing company which allows their players to exist on a semi-pro basis which has obviously boosted standards. I think we may have to think about these alternative methods of funding in countries like Bermuda.?

In highlighting other aspects of his visit, Vieira expressed his confidence in Bermuda as hosts of next year?s Americas Cup, arguing that the Island possessed both the facilities and the infrastructure to deal efficiently with an event of this size.

?Without a doubt Bermuda is well capable of hosting a very good Americas Cup,? he said.

?They have the facilities and they put on a very good youth tournament not so long ago. Everything from our angle is fine and the general public need not lose any sleep over Bermuda?s ability to host this event.?

The ICC Americas office are responsible for spreading the gospel of cricket from Alaska to Argentina and are currently involved in development projects in some unlikely locations, including Brazil, Chile and even Mexico.

And although Vieira admitted that it had been a demanding task, particularly in many Latin American countries where football is more of a national religion than an entertaining pastime, he pointed out that there had been significant progress.

?We are happy to a great extent with the number of countries that are getting involved,? he said.

?In most countries it is still the expat community which drives the sport but there are some very encouraging signs coming from countries like Chile and Brazil which have small but well structured cricket organisations with significant financial backing which is allowing to spread knowledge of the game into the schools system. But obviously there is still a way to go.?