ICC Intercontinental Cup and Shield

leading players by the first-class sides in the ICC’s Full-Member countries or by the franchised teams in the Indian Premier League. Possibly the likely difficulties in obtaining the relevant work permits and visas are acting as a deterrent. BERMUDA Played Won Drawn Lost Won on first inns Lost on first inns Cup 15 3 1 3 8 Shield 3 0 0 0 3 Highest team total 620 v Netherlands Pretoria 2006 Lowest team total 106 v Scotland Hamilton 2008 56 v United Arab Emirates Hamilton 2010 Highest individual total 247* D.L.Hemp v Netherlands Pretoria 2006 Best bowling analysis 7-57 R.D.M.Leverock v USA Hamilton 2004 Best wicketkeeping 4 c J.Edness v Canada Toronto 2004 2 c, 2 st D.A.Minors v Cayman Islands Toronto 2005 Performances in italics are for the Intercontinental Shield. Bermuda experienced one good season in the Intercontinental Cup competition. In 2005 they won the America Group before losing to Kenya on the first innings in the semi-final. Otherwise their performances have ranged from disappointing to mediocre. All too often they have more than held their own for two or, sometimes, three days before submitting tamely either through an inept batting display or poor bowling. Generally, when it mattered, their batsmen were guilty of poor shot selection and playing in one-day mode rather than displaying the grit required for four-day cricket. Yet, at other times, their leading batsmen showed great concentration and an ability to play a long innings. The bowling was inconsistent, at times inspired but, on other occasions, the bowlers, particularly the pace attack, seemed unable to find either line or length. This inconsistency was symptomatic of the attitude of most of their players, engendered by the structure of their domestic game which remains largely recreational. Most of Bermuda’s players want to enjoy their cricket; it is a game for fun, not to be taken too seriously, except for the annual three-day fixture between Somerset and St George’s Cricket Club. This approach undoubtedly contributed to Bermuda’s poor performance in the 2007 ICC World Cup which led many cricketing pundits to question whether the country should be playing at that level. The approach has brought about numerous conflicts between the players, the national coach and the Bermuda Cricket Board, resulting in the intermittent suspension of players for failure to attend training camps or, even, to make themselves available for the national team. Added to this have been suspensions for taking recreational drugs or ill-tempered outbursts against officials. As a result, the selectors have often found it difficult to keep a consistent squad which explains why 50 players have been used in only 18 matches. Despite these issues, Bermuda have produced some of the outstanding players of the competition. David Hemp has a batting average of 197.00, reflecting his ability both to score runs and to be hard to dismiss. Clay Smith’s average of 64.27 and his record of two centuries and five fifties shows what a key player Bermuda lost when he chose to retire at the end of 2006. For quick runs in the middle order, Lionel Cann has an excellent strike rate of 85.91. The bowling has been reliant on Dwayne Leverock. His tournament return of 71 wickets at 26.47 arguably places him as the leading spin bowler at Associate and Affiliate level. Unfortunately, he has lacked consistent support. The one player who might have helped was Saleem Mukuddem who had taken 23 wickets at a strike rate of 43.82. However, after a dispute with the Bermuda Cricket Board over his non-attendance at social functions during the 2007 World Cup, he chose to return to South Africa and retired from international cricket. After failing to retain their place in the Intercontinental Cup, Bermuda competed in the Intercontinental Shield. Against lesser opposition, their performance deteriorated further with only Hemp and Rodney Trott demonstrating consistent ability at first-class level. 270 Countries