Coach upbeat ahead of Windies clash

Discipline will be key in helping Bermuda regain its place on the international cricket stage.

Coach David Moore has a sunny outlook on the future of the sport as the squad prepares to meet the West Indies High Performance side in a 50 overs match in Toronto today.

Coach Moore said the team has been training hard despite unstable weather over the past few days.

“We’ve had a bit of disrupted preparation because of rain up here but they’ve been training hard. They seem to be getting their skills in order, but once again, how they put it into practice into a match situation will be key to our success.”

Moore will have the full complement of the squad to choose from today as there are no nagging injuries.  But he will not announce who will start ahead of time.

“Because of the rain we haven’t had a chance to see the wicket — it’s been covered so we won’t make any final decisions until Wednesday morning after we’ve had a good chance to look at the wicket and see how they’ve prepared it.”

With nine players unavailable, the coach said several of the new players will get a chance to stake their claim and keep the others from regaining their place.

“Every guy who has come in recently has really been impressive. Dion Stovell, (Jason) Anderson, (Kyle) Hodsoll — are three guys who haven’t been a part of the programme and have been working very hard, showing that they want to take their opportunity. They’re really working very hard to get ready for these games.

“The remainder of the players are also working very hard so it’s very encouraging.

“These guys are all a part of the current international series and if they can get runs and take wickets it might put them on equal footing with some of the guys who were unavailable, or even take them ahead.

“We’re trying to build a good training ethic, fitness, match preparation and match performances so if these young guys come in and stake their claim now, then obviously they’ve had the opportunity to put their name forward in front of everyone. It’s always an advantage to play in the most current series.”

One of those back in the squad is Malachi Jones, who was booted off for disobeying an order not to play a league cricket match. But Jones isn’t the only one who has experienced Moore’s no-nonsense approach as even vice-captain Stephen Outerbridge was left off a squad for being late to training.

The coach stressed that discipline is a key foundation for success.

“If you have no discipline off the field, you won’t have it on the field. As far as I am concerned, it’s not about me being very tough on the players but setting a standard, which is what it takes to be successful at the international level.

“If you don’t have discipline and standards, then it doesn’t matter how good a cricketer you are because you’re never going to perform consistently at the international level. That’s what we’re after with all our players.”

He said it also sends a wrong message to guys who are busting their tails when others can flout rules and show up to training when they feel like it.

“The other issue is you’ve got guys who genuinely want to play for Bermuda and putting in their all, then why should anyone who comes when they feel like it get the opportunity and honour to represent their country?

Culture shock

“I don’t know what it was like before I came in so I brought in what I know is appropriate. For some of then it was a bit of a culture shock, but I know what it takes to win international cricket games and there are just some things that are not negotiable.”

“There are standards we have to have and need to maintain as we move forward.”

Moore said setting a high standard would pan out “When we get into situations when things get a bit tougher it’s this discipline which will get us through. This is evident in all the high quality international teams throughout all sports in the world.

“When they’ve got the discipline and they’ve got the desire to fight hard and have a no nonsense approach, this takes them through the tough times. As a player you’ve only got your teammates and yourself to look after you.

“When you look around in the changing room before a game you know there are one or two blokes who aren’t on the same page, then it’s not going to lead to success. “Whereas what I need to do is have all those guys look at each other and know that they’re going to fight for themselves and each other and fight for the pride of playing for their country.”