Bermuda struggle to make an impression

The euphoria surrounding Bermuda's qualification for the 2007 World Cup is fast disappearing, and three defeats (by six wickets, seven wickets, and 46 runs) in as many matches on the tour to United Arab Emirates has highlighted how far they have to progress before the tournament.

While there was no underestimating the difficulties of facing UAE away from home, there is no doubting the disappointment of the performances. They follow on from losses in both ODIs against Namibia last October, and questions are now being asked about the quality of the side.

The local media has been quick to lambaste the team. The Royal Gazette said that there was "little evidence of some our better players pulling their weight when it really mattered. Janeiro Tucker apart, there have been a succession of capitulations from players who have the ability to perform at international level but seemingly not the mental toughness."

The scale of the setbacks against UAE is underlined by the fact that they fielded not one player who had taken part in the ICC Champions Trophy in Ireland last July.

With two matches remaining, there is still time for Bermuda to salvage something from the tour.