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A twin menace on the field and great mates off it, Rodney Trott and Malachi Jones have emerged as the new dream partnership to lead Bermuda's next generation.

With an atmosphere of gloom surrounding the senior national squad after a lengthy losing streak hope has arrived in the emergence of the talented young duo, who will lead Bermuda to the Under-19 World Cup. That's not to say that it's a two-man effort; but as captain and vice-captain of the squad they will be doing the heavy lifting.

The squad heads to Trinidad next week for a training camp ahead of the World Cup in Malaysia in February.

And while the Under-19 championship is job one, the duo also have their sights set on making an impact with the national squad - a squad which they believe has been impacted by politics and lack of energy.

They are likely to be linked together in the annals of Bermuda cricket in much the same way as best friends Dean Minors and Clay Smith have been.

Rodney and Malachi's careers have been intertwined since they were first thrown together on successful youth teams.

And their relationship has grown, thanks to their leadership roles on those squads.

Malachi was first to emerge on the senior team with his famous first ball wicket at the World Cup, but both are now regulars on coach Gus Logie's squad.

Malachi said: "We're not as tight as Clay and Dean were as youngsters, but we have a pretty good understanding of the relationship. We're close in the cricket arena."

Malachi said the two probably met each other around the age of eight to 10 at a cricket camp.

Rodney recalls meeting at a later date.

"The first time I met Malachi was about six years ago. I was playing cricket for Bay and I would see Malachi when we used to play against Rangers. We used to talk because we were about the same age. Ever since then we've only gotten closer.

"Malachi and I have a good relationship. We both have the same cricket aspect - we both love the game of cricket."

Rodney captained the Under-15 squad at the Americas Region in which Malachi, who is almost two years younger, made his international debut for Bermuda.

"That was his first tour and we were the opening bats for the team," Rodney said. "Ever since then we've stuck together. It was a good experience for us to bat together."

Malachi said the pair had an impressive run against Argentina with Rodney having a knock of 40-some runs not out and Malachi adding another 30 or so.

So, what does the future hold for the dynamic duo with the national squad?

Malachi said: "I would like to captain or vice-captain the squad, but right now I still need to mature in the game and work on my personal game.

"I feel like I have to take the game a little more serious and develop as a cricketer and develop my knowledge. I need to work on the mental side. I feel like I could become one of the island's best all-rounders if I put my head to it."

Rodney added: "We can offer a lot to the senior team. We're both young and we have a lot of energy and are enthusiastic about cricket. I think that's lacking amongst the senior squad - there's not a lot of energy."

Malachi believes that Bermuda has a good chance to qualify for the senior World Cup again, but the politics of the sport needs to be set aside.

"We need to pick the best 15 players on the island. I think there are a lot of players out there that should be a part of the team that aren't."

He said sometimes relationships get in the way and people "need to put that behind them for the benefit of Bermuda's cricket."

Rodney said it will be tougher for Bermuda to qualify for the next World Cup because the ICC could cut back on the number of associates taking part in the tournament.

He added: "I would never count us out. We're going to have to put in a lot of hard work. We have to find the right balance as a lot of the older guys are fading out. The younger guys need more of an opportunity because we are the future of Bermuda's cricket."[[In-content Ad]]

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