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Perhaps it is because I am basically an optimist at heart; perhaps it is because we are in the midst of the festive season or perhaps it is because I drank too much eggnog at the office X-mas party yesterday (just kidding), but I refuse to accept that it is too late for Bermuda's cricketers to turn things around and give a good account of themselves at both the ICC World Cricket League Division One competition in Kenya and the World Cup proper in the West Indies.

In a hard hitting critique published on the cricinfo website on December 7, editor Martin Williamson accused our team of not being good enough to hold their own against the leading associate cricket nations, lacking fitness and then went so far as to suggest that it is too late to salvage anything in time for the World Cup.

While I must confess he has strong evidence to support his view, as a die-hard Bermuda fan I cannot and will not abandon hope in my team, after all weren't these the same players who against all odds defied the skeptic's predictions by qualifying for the World Cup in the first place? What were the key ingredients that brought about that success? First of all there was team unity, followed by wholehearted commitment to the cause and finally a sincere belief in and willingness to follow the meticulously laid out game plans of master coach Gus Logie.

The Recman plan

All that is required is a return to these basics as well as buying into what I like to refer to as the 'Recman plan':

n Place a very strong emphasis on fitness training and diet as soon as the players report back to training in the New Year.

In fact the players should not even lay their hands on a bat or ball before they go to Trinidad, the focus should be on physical conditioning.

n Enlist the assistance of two West Indian fast bowlers and spinners to help with the team's preparation during their 12- day stay in Trinidad.

Bowlers

Let's face it our bowling is not exactly our strong suit and we need all the help we can get to prepare our batsmen for what lies ahead.

Say what you will but I still believe that players like Janeiro Tucker, Irving Romaine, Dean Minors, Dwayne Leverock and of course Clay Smith, (when fully-fit) are good cricketers and can do this country proud on the international stage if they are prepared to give their all.

In an interview in the Mid-Ocean newspaper, Bermuda's first ICC Trophy captain Gladstone 'Sad' Brown stated that Bermuda's world cup campaign had failed to capture the public's imagination and I for one must agree with him.

However, I believe they can still turn this thing around, by way of a good showing in Kenya. This would ignite the country's passion and rally support for what many believe now to be a lost cause.

Those players fortunate enough to be selected for the World Cup will be fulfilling the dreams of many who came before them and failed to make it, good cricketers such as the legendary Clarence Parfitt, Colin Blades and Noel Gibbons.

They will literally make history by becoming the first ever Bermuda cricketers to participate in a World Cup.

What legacy they leave however lies entirely in their hands. Let's all give them our complete backing!

Have a blessed Christmas and Happy New Year![[In-content Ad]]

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