Kenya captain Steve Tikolo is the latest personality to come out swinging for the minnows attending Cricket World Cup 2007.

The places of non-Test playing teams like Kenya, Canada, The Netherlands, Bermuda, Ireland, and Scotland in the World Cup have been subject of a raging debate among some of the game's leading personalities.

West Indies fast bowling legend Michael Holding has been the most prominent critic in the last few weeks about the value of the minnows taking part in the World Cup, and Australia captain Ricky Ponting has also raised an eyebrow.

"The International Cricket Council is looking to spread the game globally," Tikolo said following his side's 21-run defeat to West Indies in an official warm-up match on Monday.

"I don't see how they are going to do it unless they get us involved in cricket activities."

Tikolo also seemed to place the blame for the lack of competitiveness from the minnows at the feet of the Test-playing nations.

"To be playing at this level, you have to be playing against these guys regularly," he said.

"Playing them in World Cup warm-up matches and big tournaments alone is not good enough. We need quality opposition to improve and we are not getting that."

Tikolo is, however, satisfied with his side's performance in the warm-up match against the CWC 2007 hosts.

"It was a fruitful exercise, since the main aim was to try and get some good combinations going in the team, and I think we did this," he said.

"Obviously, we have another friendly game on Thursday, and we will try and give the guys who did not have a go a chance then to try and finalise our first 11.

"We bowled well at the start of their innings, but we let them get too many runs in the latter stages. I thought also that we batted well, but lost some batsmen in the middle, otherwise it would have been a different result."

Kenya face the Netherlands in their second warm-up match on Thursday at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Complex here. The Africans contest Group C of the World Cup alongside England, New Zealand, and Canada in St. Lucia.

(Article: Copyright © 2007 AFP)