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NEWS Cricket World Cup 2007>Minnows add charm to World Cup: Dravid 08th Mar 2007 12.38 IST By Agencies Contrary to the view of some of his counterparts, Indian captain Rahul Dravid has said minnows teams should be a part of the cricket World Cup for they add character and charm to the competition. "They add a lot of character and charm to the event," Dravid said after helping his team clinch a huge 182-run win against the Netherlands in their first warm-up match at Montego Bay in Jamaica.
Dravid said it was important to encourage the associate members by offering them the platform to grow and overcome difficulties. "I think you have 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 play this game. "Many of them are amateurs, and take time off from work to play the game, and keep it alive in their countries, so I think the International Cricket Council has to do a lot to help them, and not just give them opportunities in tournaments like this," he said. "The ICC has to identify four or five nations outside of the top eight or nine, and ensure that they can get them up to a standard and provide them with the facilities, training, and games to ensure that they are - at least - semi-professional which will help them improve their standard," he added. Also View In-Depth Coverage: Cricket World Cup 2007 Team Page: India Team Page: Holland | LIVE CRICKET COVERAGE NEWS ~ Gilchrist has no plans to retire after World Cup ~ Ganguly's new batting approach may cost him sixer record ~ India 'squash the Orange' in World Cup warm-up game ~ Symonds gets a new hairdo for World Cup ~ Dhoni readies himself for stand-up act at World Cup (more in NEWS) FACE-TO-FACE ~ 500-mark a possibility in World Cup: Hayden ~ Minnows add charm to World Cup: Dravid (more in FACE-TO-FACE) COLUMNS ~ Will Sri Lanka replicate 1996 World Cup success? (more in COLUMNS) OFF-THE-FIELD ~ Ganguly again the darling of corporate world ~ Ganguly roped in as brand ambassador of Puma (more in OFF-THE-FIELD) PLAYERS Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble (more PLAYERS) TEAMS India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies, Zimbabwe, England, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kenya, Holland | 
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