Disheartened Mukuddem abandons Bermuda

Saleem Mukuddem, the Bermuda alrounder, is returning to his native South Africa following his recent damning comments on the future of cricket in the country.

In his article at the Royal Gazette Mukuddem attacked the Bermuda Cricket Board of failing in their duty as custodians of the game, while calling for more transparency and consistency from the decision makers. The piece prompted Ewart Brown, the premier of Bermuda, to call him for a meeting which never took place - a sign, says Mukuddem, that the sport's governing body will continue to bury its head in the sand.

"I don't think that meeting's going to happen. It hasn't happened yet. So that tells me it's not going to," he told The Bermuda Sun. "Everybody involved with cricket, the minister - everybody, has been saying there is nothing wrong with the sport. "For the Premier to meet with me would be an admission that something is wrong.

"Otherwise why meet me? I'm just an average Joe cricketer who just happens to be outspoken."

He insists he has no axe to grind and only spoke out because he loves the game. "All I did was say it as it is. I left out a lot of stuff that could have landed people in trouble. The point is I want to see the game prosper in Bermuda. I want to see the guys in charge be transparent, be accountable and be channeled in their efforts."

Mukuddem insists he will always be a Bermuda fan and will follow their progress from Cape Town, where he is returning to enable his young son to spend more time with his family.

"It's not my fight to fight any more. My bags are packed and I've got a one way ticket home. I hope the attitude changes and the bar starts getting set much higher. It is a fight that needs to be fought, but it's not my fight - it needs to be fought by Bermudians. It's your home."

This article first appeared in The Bermuda Sun