BANGALORE: Canada captain Ashish Bagai said the way his side played against champions Australia on Wednesday could force a change in plans to cut the number of teams at future World Cups.
The International Cricket Council aim to have only 10 nations competing at the 2015 World Cup, compared to the current 14.
As there are 10 Test sides, this has left second-tier nations such as Canada, who have also appeared in the 1979, 2003 and 2007 editions, fearful they could be frozen out.
Wednesday's match is Canada's final Group A fixture of a tournament where they have beaten fellow associates Kenya by five wickets but suffered convincing defeats in all of their other five first round fixtures.
What could be Canada's final-ever World Cup match has been given added spice by Australia captain Ricky Ponting's assertion that "the World Cup should be a place only for the best eight or 10 teams".
Bagai said: "I don't think it's just a point to prove to Ricky.
"It's for us to put on a good show to give reasons to the ICC to rethink their decision, not just for Ricky but for ourselves as well. To prove a point to ourselves and the people watching us."
Canada off-spinner John Davison said the way the North Americans' leg-spinner Balaji Rao had taken nine wickets at a respectable 28.11 was an example of how exposure to top-class opposition could raise standards.
"I think the performance of Balaji shows that if we get a lot of opportunity to train in good conditions and play against good teams, you can see how someone can lift their game to the standard required," said Davison.
The veteran player won't, however, be part of any future international plans as he'll retire after Wednesday's match.
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