Cricket team named for Dubai (Update1)

David Hemp will captain the Bermuda team at the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 2 Tournament in UAE.

The tournament is scheduled from April 8 to April 15.

Bermuda will compete against UAE, Uganda, Namibia, Hong Kong and Papa New Guinea. The bottom two teams will get relegated to Division 3 and the top four will stay in the ICC High Performance Programme.

David Moore, national coach, said:  "The level of competitiveness between players fighting for a place in the touring squad has been outstanding. It encourages me to know that all players that have been in the squad over the last few months have a desire to commit to playing for Bermuda and undertake all that is asked of them in an attempt to make the team. This squad, and the other squads in the BCB National Academy, is underpinned by the development of a performance culture. Players are being selected on current performances, not on reputation and performances of the past."

"The batting is strengthened by the return of Irving Romaine. Irving brings a high level of experience and some good performances from last years international schedule. Irving is a very good team man that brings out the best in many of our players and it is great to have him back in the set up. Irving is recovering from a knee injury and will have to confirm his fitness before the team departs. Batsmen in the squad including Terryn Fray, Oronde Bascome, Dennico Hollis and Sam Robinson have all been working hard both here and overseas and are unlucky not to be included."

"The selected pace bowling group has worked very hard on all aspects of their game. Their technical work has been progressing well and their fitness gains have been outstanding. Malachi Jones and Stefan Kelly bowled very well in our last tour to Dubai and will be leading the attack. Bell, West and Hodsoll continue to improve and it is expected that they will make significant contributions during the tournament. Jorden DeSilva and Burton Outerbridge have trained extremely well and narrowly missed a very competative selection."

"The fitness of all squad members has improved dramatically through the hard work of Rudy Alleyne and physiotherapist Craig Brown. The playing group will continue to evolve so that performances in the Elite Player League and club cricket, as well as commitment to fitness and practice will have a major bearing on selection moving forward."

"The team will miss Stephen Outerbridge, who has unfortunately not recovered from his knee surgery from an injury suffered in the 2010 Cup Match. It is particularly difficult to rehabilitate from injury such as this when working a full time job. Stephen has guaranteed that his desire and passion to play for Bermuda is still present and he is working to be available for the T20 tournament in July."

Coach Moore concluded: "All members of the team, playing and support staff, understand the importance of this tournament to Bermuda Cricket. The team will maintain the hard work that has been undertaken in the winter months in an effort to finish in the top two positions in the tournament. Bermuda is the only team in this tournament that will be in our off-season which makes our task that much more difficult. The team and the support staff appreciate the efforts of the Board in providing us with a pre-tour camp and giving the team an opportunity to utilize outdoor facilities and play lead up games prior to the tournament. This opportunity will greatly assist us in our preparation and give us the best opportunity of success in Dubai."

Reginald Pearman, BCB president, said: "This is a very significant tournament for Bermuda and therefore the Board has supported the efforts of the coaching staff and the team by financing an eleven-day preparation camp in Dubai prior to the tournament. The team departs Bermuda for the pre-training tour on 24 March and returns on 16 April. We have been proud to be a high performance member since 2005 and I know all of us will be doing our upmost to retain this important status of being ranked in the top 20 in the world. On behalf of the Board I wish the team all the best as they embark on this important."