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Bermuda pace bowler George O'Brien insisted it had been an easy decision to skip Cup Match insisting - 'country comes first'.

The 23-year-old, who has taken wickets in the last three years and has become the figurehead of the St. George's attack, said his absence would give others an opportunity to shine.

And he said he had no reservations about missing the game to play on the world stage in the 20-20 qualifier in Ireland.

"It was not really a tough decision - to go to the next level is always a good thing, Hopefully, it will open even more doors for me.

"I think they (St George's) will miss me but it's going to give other people a chance to show what they can do.

"It wasn't a hard choice for me - country first."

O'Brien admits he may have to temper his aggressive style to suit the 20-20 format. And he has been working on bowling with more control, varying his line and length and throwing in a few Yorkers - the fast bowlers greatest weapon when batsmen are on the rampage.

"I really have to go about it different - really make the batsmen think every ball and try to contain more instead of just attacking.

"20-20 is really a batsman's game, they enjoy it a lot more than us. Most bowlers usually go for a few runs.

"You have to set yourself a target and try and stick to it. Going for six an over might not look good in one-day games but in 20-20 that ain't too bad."

O'Brien, who made his comeback to the Bermuda squad for the recent tour of Canada, believes he can mix it at the top level.

He has played one 20-20 international before - in the Stanford 20-20 against Jamaica. And, though Bermuda were hammered in that game, he impressed with his fiery pace bowling picking up a wicket and bowling relatively well in difficult circumstances.

"It was a good atmosphere, it's good to see I could compete at that level. I wasn't phased by it."

The confident, but quietly spoken, pacer, who is having a great season for Police, fancies Bermuda's chances of shaking up Scotland and Ireland next weekend, And he's not concerned about Scotland's convincing win over his team in the four-day "I didn't see too much to worry about in a 20-20 match. I think we're going to do good in this tournament, actually."[[In-content Ad]]

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