January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.

Janeiro says he has to put family first


By James [email protected] | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Senior Bermuda batsman Janeiro Tucker has defended his decision not to train with the national team since the World Cup and reflected - 'if they drop me, they drop me'.

Tucker said he would be back in training eventually but insisted that after nine months on the road with Bermuda in the run up to 2007 World Cup he needed to dedicate some time to his job and his family.

The 32-year-old middle order batsman, who is also coaching Southampton Rangers, said he still wanted to be part of the national programme.

But he trains two nights a week and plays two weekend days with his club so he is finding it difficult to make the time.

"It's not easy. You've got work commitments, you still have to look after your family. I'm training Rangers, basically by myself. I don't have the time right now.

"The contracts expired right after the World Cup. I'm out working and doing what I have to do to take care of my family. I'll have to deal with the national squad once that business is taken care of.

"I'll be back out eventually. Hopefully it won't be too late. They might just drop guys that don't come out and train.

"I hope they are understanding because we still have to take care of our families and we still have to get back into our lives after nine months off from work.

"Everybody wants to play for their country but if they feel that I'm not showing the commitment or they want to drop me, they might do that."

National team fast bowler Kevin Hurdle agreed that it was tough to make training all the time, particularly with his shift work at BELCO, but said he was still involved with the set up and wanted to be a big part of the Bermuda national team.

Coach Gus Logie said he was disappointed with the turnout at training from the senior members of his World Cup squad.

And he said that with the squad travelling to Holland for an Intercontinental Cup match in August, the time was approaching where he would have to say - "if you don't train you don't play."

Logie said there were other options for the national squad with the likes of Flatts' batsman James Celestine, Arthur Pitcher jnr and Azeem Pitcher turning out regularly.

He said certain players, including Tucker, had contacted the board to inform them of why they couldn't train, but others had just not showed up.

"We really want the established players to be mixing it with the new fellas and setting the pace. We understand the situation the players are in that's why we are only having two sessions a week.

"At least they could let us know what's happening. Some of the guys we just haven't heard from."

And he warned youngsters like Delyone Borden and OJ Pitcher that talent alone would not be enough.

"I am just hoping that guys understand the situation they are putting themselves in. If we see players that are not coming to training and there are others that are committed to the set up, even if they are not as talented, we will have to give them a chance.

"At the end of the day a policy will have to develop that if you don't train you don't play. We've given leeway in the past but we feel players have to meet us halfway. We've been bending over backwards to accommodate individuals, because of the situation we find ourselves in, but we have six weeks before we leave so a decision will have to be made."

With retirements the team will have a different look.

"We are going to have displacement and we are just hoping that these players who fill those shoes are going to be prepared for it."[[In-content Ad]]

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