January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
More than Cup on the line
With 18 months to go to World Cup 2007 Gus Logie already has a good idea what the nucleus of his squad will be.
At least eight, and possibly 10 of the 14 World Cup places, are pretty much sewn up.
But over the next year-and-a-half the competition for the final places on the plane to Trinidad is set to boil over.
It all starts in Namibia this weekend, where five players in particular will be hoping for a chance to shine.
Ask most cricket fans who'll be in the squad next March and they could instantly reel off the names of Clay Smith, Janeiro Tucker, Saleem Mukuddem, Dean Minors, Irving Romaine, Lionel Cann, Dwayne Leverock, Kevin Hurdle,
The final six slots are more problematic though Ryan Steede and Hasan Durham are looking good for two of them.
But there's currently a raft of players in contention and as the recent surprise selection of PHC left arm seamer Kevin Tucker shows, the door is not closed to anybody.
Come Sunday Steede, Durham, Kwame Tucker, Curtis Jackson and Kevin Tucker will be looking to slam that door shut on the competition.
Here’s a look at the five men with it all to play for, next week.
Hasan Durham, 33,
Western Stars
Durham was left out of the ICC Trophy squad but came back to play a key role in the Intercontinental Cup victory over Canada.
He is an experienced campaigner with a fantastic economy rate and is favourite to take the second spin bowling slot.
His place could come under threat from Delyone Borden who, despite being a less accomplished slow bowler, offers an extra option with the bat. Another performance like his match-winning turn in Canada and he can start to think about packing his suitcase.
Ryan Steede, 29
Bailey's Bay
Steede is still the man likely to lead Bermuda's pace bowling attack with Kevin Hurdle.
Performed well sporadically at the ICC Trophy but his four wickets cost more than 40 runs apiece. His economy rate of 5.15 an over wasn't bad, though, in the context of a high-scoring tournament.
He has been consistent in the domestic game, though Jacobi Robinson, Rodney Trott and George O'Brien all had better stats.But those stats don’t tell the full story and Steede has been an important part of Logie's team for the past few months.
He has a bit of extra experience and know-how at the top level and can expect to remain a vital cog in the World Cup master plan unless something goes wrong between now and the tournament.
Curtis Jackson, 38
Southampton Rangers
One of the top run scorers in the domestic competition and a fearless close fielder.
Jackson has experience opening up for Bermuda, but maybe too much of it.
On league form he's the best opener around but he'll be 40 when the World Cup comes around and that could count against him.
That said, if he starts to score runs in a position where just about everybody else has failed then he'll be in with a very good chance.
Kwame Tucker, 29,
Southampton Rangers
Had an excellent season for Rangers by averaging more than 50 runs and the fact that he can deputize behind the stumps won't hurt his chances.
He has a big chance to make the opening role his own with some runs next week.
He is a confident and aggressive batsman at the top of the order and could become a very important player for Bermuda. That opening bat role will be tough to hold down, though. Delyone Borden, OJ Pitcher and Stephen Outerbridge are just a few of the players with their eye on his position.
Kevin Tucker, 26
PHC
Came from nowhere to be included in the Bermuda squad after a modest season with PHC. His left-arm approach offers a different option and his attitude in training clearly impressed Logie.
He was picked after volunteering to help out as a net bowler.
He will need to impress on this tour to stave off strong competition for places in the bowling line-up.
His main difficulty may be getting on the field. Unless there's an injury he's the most likely of the 13 to be left out.
[[In-content Ad]]
Comments:
You must login to comment.