Richard Cox and Mike Hendrick debrief the squad after a practice match Photo © ECC

Following some impressive performances by the lesser-known cricketing nations (or minnows, if you prefer) at this year's World Cup, interest in the development of the game beyond the traditional Commonwealth strongholds has increased significantly.

And as England lick their wounds and look to their academy to produce the young talent which will make disappointing first-round exits a thing of the past, the ICC European Development Program is also looking to young players from across the continent to start closing the gap in playing standards and putting European cricket on the map.

Mike Hendrick and the academy physio work with players on their bowling actions Photo © ECC

The European Development Program's High Performance pathway provides a number of opportunities for talented youngsters to hone their skills and work towards selection for their senior national squads.

15 players between the ages of 18 and 24 from 7 countries will arrive in Alfas del Pi, Spain, for the second European Academy on 30 March, where they will spend two and a half weeks being put through their paces by a highly qualified group of coaches.

Mike Gatting will be visiting the academy in his new role as an ambassador for the European Development Program in order to meet the local authorities and raise the profile of cricket in the area. The academy squad will also be able to benefit from his immense experience of the game and his expertise as a specialist coach.

Mike Hendrick in discussion with squad member Simon Wells (Ireland) Photo © ECC

The rigorous two and a half week academy programme includes work on fitness levels, net sessions using video analysis to help players improve all areas of their technique, an ECB Level I coaching course, and a number of games, including one against a development squad from neighbouring Gibraltar.

Last year's academy was hailed a success by the players, who felt that they were more rounded cricketers by the end of the programme, and for whom this kind of opportunity had been something of a rarity in the past.

As Spain's Ben Fletcher said, "What an incredible couple of weeks! When I was offered the chance to work with some of the most promising young players in Europe and top quality coaches, what could I do? Opportunities like that don't come along every day."

Mike Hendrick videos Anders Christiansen (Denmark) in the nets Photo © ECC

The Academy will be followed by the Development Program's annual U16 coaching camp at Bradfield College in Berkshire.

From 22-26 April, 26 youngsters from 13 countries will spend several days in intensive coaching sessions covering all aspects of their game, in preparation for the summer's youth tournaments, which are now run at U13, U15 and U17 level.

This will be the fourth coaching camp for this age group, and Development Program staff have been monitoring the progress of previous participants, as well as scouting for new talent, at the youth tournaments which the programme runs each year.

The academy squad take on the Spanish national team Photo © ECC

While there is clearly a lot of work to be done before the Scotlands and Irelands of the cricketing world can compete on level terms with the likes of Australia and India, progress is being made.

Daan van Bunge, the youngest member of Holland's 2003 World Cup squad, is a graduate of the Development Program's U18 coaching camp held in Edinburgh back in 2000, has played in a number of Development Program tournaments, and spent time with the MCC Young Cricketers last summer as part of a joint Development Program/MCC initiative.

Soon he will be returning to Lord's as a contracted Young Cricketer, with a gritty 62 runs against India and three prime English wickets under his belt as a result of his exploits in South Africa. Not bad for a minnow.

For further information about any of the initiatives mentioned above, or about the ICC European Development Program in general, please visit www.ecc.cricket.org, email alison.smith@mcc.org.uk or call 020 7616 8638.