Bermuda slump to defeat against USA (Update 2)

The islanders slumped to a heavy seven-wicket defeat at the hands of host USA at the Central Broward Regional Park to finish third in the six-team tournament.

After the match Bermuda coach David Moore expressed concern over his team’s inability to beat countries lower than them in ICC Associate cricket’s pecking order like USA.

He said: “We did the job we came here to do, which was to qualify for the tournament (global World Twenty20 qualifiers). But obviously we just have to get over this hump of playing USA.

“USA is in Division Four and every time we play them we can’t get across that mental hump.

“I do understand what it is but we just need to get refocused and knock off teams that we should be comfortably beating.”

Moore said his players will have to become mentally tougher if they are to reap success at next March’s global World Twenty20 qualifiers in Dubai.

He added: “We need to get over this mental thing where we can get over the better teams because when we go to Dubai we’re going to playing tougher teams.

“We have to be able to beat them or else we are just going over there for the ride.”

Batting first under sunny skies, Bermuda were restricted to 91 for seven by an disciplined four-pronged USA spin attack.
The hosts replied with 92 for three to achieve victory with 24 balls to spare.

As he is has done for the most of the tournament, opening bat Lionel Cann led the local resistance with a dashing 32 from 29 balls that included six boundaries.
The St David’s Islander finished as the tournament’s highest run getter with 205 runs that included three half-centuries.

Cann said: “My batting has been good. There have been situations where I had to do what I had to do and play different innings. I came here in good nick and it was nice.”

Teenaged off-spinner Joshua Gilbert led Bermuda’s bowling attack against the Americans with a tidy spell that yielded superb figures of two for 17.