---

Bermuda’s jet-setting cricketers will travel to Canada and Africa for key fixtures in the Intercontinental Cup later this year.

Gus Logie's team, currently in Dubai competing in a friendly one-day series with the United Arab Emirates, will play their first group game in the competition in Canada in August.

Then they will renew rivalries with Kenya, who knocked them out of the tournament at the semi-final stage last year, in the African country in November.

Their final group game against Holland will be played in South Africa in December.

Bermuda has known its opponents since late last year when the ICC announced wholesale changes to the organization of the tournament.

The regional qualifying competitions have been ditched and the top eight teams, outside of the Test playing nations, have been split into two groups of four.

Ireland, Scotland, United Arab Emirates and either Namibia or Nepal will contest the other group.

The teams will play-off in a round robin format and the winners will compete in the final.

The matches are played over four days, rather than three, as has been the case with previous tournaments.

ICC Global Development Manager, Matthew Kennedy, said that the 2006 event would provide unprecedented four-day competitive opportunities for the teams.

“All of the sides will play at least three four-day fixtures which will give them excellent exposure to the longer form of the game.

“A glance at the groups shows what a truly global event the third season of the ICC Intercontinental Cup promises to be.”

The expanded schedule means that the tournament will stretch into 2007 but even more ambitious plans are already in place for the fourth edition of the event.

In 2007 and 2008 the tournament will be conducted over a full round-robin format with all eight sides playing each other over two years with the likelihood of a final between the top two teams.

The format for the tournament in 2004 and 2005 involved four regional groups — Africa, Asia, Europe and Americas — with three teams in each group playing each other and the winners of the groups going forward to semi-finals.

Last year Bermuda beat Cayman and Canada to reach the semis before going out to Kenya after a losing draw.[[In-content Ad]]

---