Video: Cricketers Prepare For Florida Tournament
[Updated with video] The Bermuda cricket squad departs on Sunday March 17th in their quest to qualify for the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh.
The regional tournament, held in Florida, will provide two countries an opportunity to compete in the World T20 qualifier in Dubai this November. By virtue of their top six finish in the previous event, Canada have already qualified from the Americas region.
The tournament promises to be a stiff test for all nations as it is now in a double round robin format with multiple days with double header games.
National Coach, Arnold Manders said this about his expectations for the tournament, “This is a demanding competition and we will not be taking any teams in the tournament for granted. The World T20 has 16 participating countries so provides an excellent chance for Associate nations to qualify to the world stage.
“The squad is well prepared and has an exciting mix of experienced seasoned players and many young players that have recently graduated from the BCB’s globally acclaimed development programs. I am very pleased that the Board have organised 4 * 50 over games against USA as preparation for World Cricket League 3 in April which commence after the T20 qualifier.
“This will provide further invaluable international match practice and allow the coaching staff to test various game strategies. I am confident that if the squad applies itself fully to the task at hand we will achieve good results,” Mr Manders concluded.
Captain Stephen Outerbridge stated, “The team recognizes the importance of finishing in the top two in this tournament to be able to compete in the World T20 qualifier in November. This is a robust tournament with very competitive ambitious teams.
“We have been in weekly indoor/outdoor sessions under coach Arnold Manders and have had the opportunity to train with Chris Brown (former first class cricketer, England Cricket Board (ECB) Level 4 Coach and ECB spin bowling specialist coach) and Andy Pick (ICC High Performance Officer for the Americas).
“The intense tournament schedule will test our team but I am confident that we will be able to perform to our best ability. Our recent training tour to Barbados provided valuable match practice for our squad,” concluded Mr Outerbridge.
