Bermuda players' commitment questioned

Bermuda's performance in the recently-concluded World Cricket League Division Two tournament in Dubai is 'unacceptable' for a team that qualified for the 2007 World Cup, former Somerset bowler George Breamer has said. The Bermuda team has come in for much criticism after a poor show resulted in a last-place finish out of six teams, and subsequent relegation to Division Three.

"We were way on top of the cricket world but these guys have degraded Bermuda. This is a national disgrace," Breamer told the Bermuda Sun. The cricketers have no one else to blame but themselves for coming up short in Dubai, he said. "It's got to be a lack of concentration, discipline and application. The common sense doesn't seem to be there."

Former St George's Club wicketkeeper Dennis Wainwright questioned the players' commitment. "We don't have players with the commitment anymore and this is where we are lacking," he said. "A lot of the players are on the team for the trip and I'm very disappointed because I expected us to win at least two matches." Bermuda won just one of their six matches in the tournament.

"The coach can only do so much. When you get on the pitch this is where you have to use the things you have been taught," Wainwright said. "You can have the best names on paper but if the players are not prepared to give 100% then we are lost."

Wainwright also criticised the batting approach. "Everybody wants to hit the ball to the boundary but you can only do this on smaller grounds or when the bowling is weak. When the bowling is tight you have to learn how to run between the wickets."

The demise of Bermuda cricket has more to do with an overdose of limited-overs cricket in the country, former fast bowler Lee Raynor said, leaving the players with no chance to learn the game's fundamentals. "[Limited] Overs cricket seems to have confused everybody," he said. "This is a very sad day for Bermuda cricket, especially for our youngsters coming through."