Bermuda and Holland prepare for first-class fixtures

First-class cricket will arrive in Bermuda and Holland on Wednesday, as the two countries play host to the latest matches in the ICC Intercontinental Cup. The visitors will be USA, who have already played one match against Canada in the Americas qualifying group, and Ireland, who have been keeping themselves busy with some notable one-day successes this season.

"The Irish team is looking forward to our first match in the ICC Intercontinental Cup," said Kyle McCallan, Ireland's allrounder, who has already played a starring role in a successful season to date, which has included improbable victories over Surrey and West Indies. "Those wins have put the team in high spirit and ready for the next few days. It will be a test for us as we have not played a lot of three-day cricket over the past few seasons, but the chance to compete against High Performance countries like Holland and Scotland will ensure that we rise to the challenge."

Bermuda, meanwhile, were disappointed to miss out as a venue for the 2007 World Cup, but they are concentrating their efforts on the arrival of USA, who lost out to Canada in their opening fixture last month, but will be playing in the ICC Champions Trophy in September. Bermuda's captain, Clay Smith, said his team had prepared well for the match.

"We are very excited to be a part of the ICC Intercontinental Cup," said Smith. "This competition will give our players experience in a first-class match for the first time in their careers, and we are looking forward to giving a good account of ourselves."

The awarding of first-class status to the Intercontinental Cup was frowned upon in some quarters, and even Canada's John Davison admitted he was grateful to the rulemakers after taking 17 wickets against USA. But, with an innovative points system designed to maximise the learning experience for the participating teams, the tournament can only help the game to develop.

To encourage teams to play for a result, the first innings of each side is restricted to 90 overs, and a minimum of 105 overs must be bowled on the opening two days of the match. The top-ranked team from the matches played in the four regions - Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas - will progress to the semi-finals and finals in the United Arab Emirates in November. Nepal (42 points), Uganda (32), Scotland (17.5) and Canada (30.5) currently lead their respective regions.