Can we do it?

By Don Burgess
Yes we can! If we can just get Barack Obama on board the possibilities are endless for our cricket team as they aim to qualify for the World Cup in 2011. The loss of Chris Douglas is a bit of blow, but Bermuda still has enough talent to finish in the top four and make it back to cricket's biggest stage. How do you think our team will do? My colleague James Whittaker is in South Africa to cover the team and he's predicting a top four finish.

Comments

[cupmatchwarrior]

I see no reason as to why we can't make the final four. But I must question our ability to actually leave a mark in the actual 2011 world cup. In every other country, their players are actually professionals! Playing cricket is their career, unlike here in Bermuda were the careers of the players are different trades across the island and its unfair that they should get treated as such. Yes making it to the world cup is a GREAT accomplishment but actually having players that are able to be a COMBATIBLE team would be even greater....not just players who are the best of their various clubs and play cricket because its their hobby. I don't know...BCB need to start paying these boys REAL money and allow them to make cricket their CAREERS!!!

[wildrover]

Even before today's loss to UAE I predicted that Bermuda would not finish higher than 8th or 9th. I just do not believe that this squad has the class needed to compete at this level. It is sad but I think Bermuda's one day international status is about to end!

[Tryangle]

So far, top four is a distant dream. The side has sunk to new lows with the embarrasing loss to the 'team of destiny', Afghanistan.

Beat Denmark, Holland and Kenya? Would be just short of miraculous if the guys can pull it off - the batting form is very much below-par so far in this tournament.

[Desy]

Maybe we thought that the academy and under 23 teams that we played in the carribean were adaquate competition for warming up for this...now we know bette..Maybe it's time for Logie to go?
We should be thinking about ten years down the road with players like Jordan Desilva, Tarryn Fray and Tre' Govia just to name a few.

[Tryangle]

To cupmatchwarrior: with the exception of the three European powerhouses, every other team is composed of part-timers. Neither Afghanistan nor UAE have full-time pros; we have the advantage of offering more money to the players.

The opportunity to secure pro contracts (even overseas league contracts) is there for the offering by performing well in this tournament. Heck, if Sluggo was ten years younger he'd have likely gotten an offer in the last ICC qualifiers. Even now there's the potential for younger guys (a shame Chris Douglas got injured) to impress somebody enough to consider recruiting them.

[pepper4ever]

Desy: We always talk about 'building the future' in both our major sports. Even when we had Clyde Best, Garry Darrell, Randy Horton and the Nusum boys playing professionally, we didn't want to enter the World Cup.
Our fast bowlers have some of the worst averages in the qualifiers, until we can develop proper pacers, we'll always have problems.
I agree with you in that Logie may go - although he may choose not to take part any more rather than being pushed out

[wildrover]

Pepper: Although I agree that we need fast bowlers, our batting has consistently let us down. How many times have we scored 250 (which is only an average score in ODI's)or more in the last three years? Hopefully the older players will now retire and we can focus on grooming the young players to play with the skill, discipline and desire that is needed to compete at this level!

[Tryangle]

We have had young players come through. A fair bit, actually. Been sent on overseas training, gotten funding, etc. I'm sure the Sun sports researchers can come up with a long list of men under 25 who played for Bermuda over the last 3 years but aren't now.

However many of them have decided to take a breather, have chosen school commitments or found themselves excluded from the squad for whatever reasons (disciplinary or other).

So it comes back to our crop of 30-somethings for the time being. You can only play the guys who were committed to this tournament.

Besides, most pundits thought that Bermuda's batting was solid; UAE and Afghanistan exposed its fragility; the Dutch may have hopes of bowling us out for a low score too.

Bowling-wise, no we don't have many attacking bowlers, so it's important that the guys chosen keep a tight line and don't concede wides or poor deliveries.

Regardless of the results, the coach's job should be retained. He's saying the right things and trying to get the team to play a certain way; however as seen in the Afghanistan game, the players on the field failed. To me, the coaching staff is the first thing that should be retained. The players below and the management above, should be under more scrutiny.

[Micquita]

I would like to know why Kyle Hodsoll was taken all the way to South Africa to sit bench? He was part of the original team while Jacobi was considered a reserve player. Nothing personal against Jacobi, but how did he get to play before Kyle? Was Kyle injured? Everybody wonders why Bermuda doesn't perform in the tournaments. It's simple. As they say, God don't like ugly!

[Tryangle]

That's a good question for coach Logie and or the team captain. Hodsoll was selected before Robinson, yet on injury Robinson leapt in front.

Perhaps the intention all along was for Hodsoll (and T Tucker as well) to just get experience observing, maybe the unfortunate personal circumstances came into play and as such Robinson was considered ahead on that basis. Maybe they just wanted a more experienced player in the middle as a strike bowler. Don't know if "it's simple, God don't like ugly" is the appropriate answer to that particular question posed.

Maybe Hodsoll gets an opportunity in the Oman match; he's very likely to get one in the match afterwards (Denmark or Uganda) since it won't affect Bermuda's end status, barring injury.