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Bermuda strike bowler Ryan Steede watched his team's batting collapse on day one against Kenya and thought - "I've got to get my boys back into this game".

Bermuda were skittled on day one for 133 and looked to be facing the prospect of a severe beating when Kenya motored to 125 for 3 by the end of the opening day.

But Steede (3 for 41) and Saleem Mukuddem (6 for 50) combined to rip Kenya out for just 205 and lead a spirited Bermuda fightback on day two.

For Steede the performance was reward for putting in the hard yards, both on and off the field.

"I started off a bit slower, I struggled to get my rhythm, but by my third spell I had got into the swing of it.

"The conditions were challenging and we were still getting acclimatized and used to the time difference.

"The wicket was a bit slow but I bent my back and in the end it paid off."

Anyone who has observed the national team's preparations since the switch to full-time cricket agrees that there are few who bend their back for the cause as much as Steede.

And he acknowledged that the extra work he had done in training had helped.

"I've really done a lot of fitness, a lot of sprint work and a lot of core strength and I think that makes a difference.

"To be honest I hadn't bowled that much in Bermuda before I came out here so it was just a matter of using my experience, pitching it on the off stump and moving it away.

"The four-day game is more about patience. You've got to study the batsman's weaknesses and work on that, they are not in a rush to score, so you have to be patient and wait for an opening."

Steede, who picked up four wickets against Canada in Bermuda's only other four-day match, has taken to the longer format of the game.

"When I was younger I always watched Test match cricket and thought, would I be able to handle it? It's fun. It's interesting. It's definitely more of a patience game. I've been enjoying it so far."

Whatever happens in the remainder of this match, which was due to continue today with Bermuda's second innings resuming on 19 for 2, 53 runs behind the Kenyans, after rain wiped out day two, Steede is proud of the way the bowlers fought back.

"It's a team and everybody has to play a part. The batsmen didn't do as well as they should have done - this was a 250,300 pitch easy.

"I just said I've got to get my boys back into this game. We missed a run-out early and I thought it was going to be a long day but you have got to keep your head up and never give in - that's the main thing."[[In-content Ad]]

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