Bermuda go professional

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The bulk of Bermuda's squad have been handed professional full-time contracts by the board as the team begins to prepare for the World Cup Qualifiers.

Kevin Hurdle, the fast bowler still recovering from injury, makes the 19-man squad as does George O'Brien, and there are no major surprises. Gus Logie, the Bermuda coach, will be gathering the players together over the next few weeks as their training regime intensifies, and Logie is determined to right the wrongs of 2008.

"In 2009 we want to prove the critics wrong. We've taken a lot of flack, some of it justified, some of it not, but we have the ability to put things right," he told the Bermuda Sun. "We have the ability now to prepare to our best and produce the results we deserve. I've no doubt we can qualify again. There's nothing in the stars that says we can't do it.

"We have to spend the next few weeks getting to know each other again and understanding why we are here."

The squad are off to Trinidad on January 29 to train at their national cricket centre, and will play four games against the Under-23s, a university side and a club before taking on a high-quality XI in St Lucia.

"Basically we'll have five days in each of those territories, three games in each and four in Trinidad," Logie said. "In South Africa we are going to be playing in a lot of different venues against different opposition so we are trying to get as much diversity as possible. We'll be coming up against quality players in all of the islands and we'll have to adjust to different conditions which is what it is all about."

Bermuda will head out to South Africa in mid-March for a fortnight's preparation before the tournament.