'Cann should be captain'

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22: Lionel Cann would have been the “ideal man” to lead Bermuda at next month’s regional Twenty/20 World Cup qualifiers in Florida.

This according to former national team captain and interim coach Wendell Smith who reckons the veteran all-rounder is “more than qualified for the job”.

“Personally, I would’ve liked to have seen Lionel Cann appointed as skipper. He would’ve been the ideal person in that he knows the game and has been around a long time.

“Lionel has paid his dues plus he will have a very intricate knowledge of all the players having played with and against them.

Devastating

“This is a bit of a drawback for Hemp (current captain David Hemp) who will meet up with the guys (in Florida) and won’t know who is in form and who has been doing what. He will have to read the Internet to keep up, but that’s just not the same to me.

“I would’ve liked to have seen a local boy captain the team because Hemp is going out of the game and I don’t think the 20-over game is suited to his style of cricket. He is more of a four-day player.”

Smith said the Bermuda Cricket Board must be counting on Hemp’s experience as a pro. He added: “But if you look at his last tour (World Cricket League Division Two) he didn’t really show up with the bat, and so I think there will be some pressure for Hemp to perform bearing in mind that he is coming off a bad tour previously.

“It’s not going to look good on the Board if he has another poor tour because then people maybe saying the same thing I’m saying now — maybe the time is now to make the change.”

In addition to his proven leadership qualities, Cann’s remarkable record in the shorter forms of the game virtually speak for themselves, having been one of the driving forces behind St David’s Twenty/20 dominance in recent years.

He also thrived with the bat during Bermuda’s successful 2007 World Cup qualifying campaign in Ireland.

Smith added: “Lionel has an ability that few people have when it comes to destroying an attack. He can single-handedly win you a match and if he can bat 10 or 12 overs in Twenty/20 cricket that can be very important.

“Lionel is going to be critical because when he’s on, he can be devastating, as we learned in Ireland against UAE (at 2005 ICC Trophy).”

In order to advance to the global phase of Twenty/20 World Cup qualifiers, Bermuda must finish among the top two teams in the group, an objective Smith feels is well within reach. He said: “Coach Moore (David Moore) has picked a very good squad and to be quite honest Bermuda should accomplish that with the talented players we have.”

As for Dean Minors’ last minute decision to come out of retirement for the cause, Smith said: “He’s still the best wicketkeeper in Bermuda. It’s great to see Dean back.”

Team: David Hemp (Captain), Stephen Outerbridge, Oronde Bascome, Lionel Cann, Fiqre Crockwell, Chris Douglas, OJ Pitcher, Joshua Gilbert, Malachi Jones, Kamau Leverock, Dean Minors, George O’Brien, Samuel Robinson, Rodney Trott.