HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC — Shadow Sports Minister Michael Weeks has called for an inquiry into Bermuda’s wretched showing at the recently-concluded 50 overs Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament in Malaysia.
Bermuda finished bottom of the six-nation standings and — along with the United States — were relegated to Division Four after winning only one of their six games, a Duckworth-Lewis victory over hosts Malaysia.
The US beat Bermuda in the opener and then thrashed them again in the playoff for fifth and sixth places but lost all their other matches.
Nepal beat Uganda in the final, with both countries promoted to Division Two.
Bermuda’s batting let them down badly, apart from the victory over Malaysia when they piled up 257 for eight. Other totals were 106 against the US in the opener, 100 against Nepal, 124 against Singapore and 140 against Uganda. Bermuda mustered just 113 in the playoff game against the US.
“We just can’t bat,” lamented stand-in coach Allan Douglas after one defeat.
Weeks told the Royal Gazette newspaper: “In terms of the Malaysia tour, we need to have an inquiry and the findings be made public because the goal should always be to see where we went wrong and correct it for future events.
“My first reaction to our performance in Malaysia was disbelief. At a minimum I would have hoped that, because of our level of cricket, we would have avoided the drop to Division Four.
“There was a time when we had the capacity and ability to defeat these teams.”
Weeks said all of local cricket’s stakeholders must share the blame for the disastrous tour of Malaysia.
“All stakeholders, including BCB (Bermuda Cricket Board), must take responsibility for what we are seeing or not seeing,” Weeks added.
Weeks also took issue with players who refuse to play for their country, opting instead to make club cricket their top priority.
“Country must come before club,” Weeks said. “If there are players who refuse to represent their country, then we must consider whether or not they should be eligible to play at the club level in sporting events such as Cup Match.”
Bermuda have been in freefall since appearing at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean and Weeks believes the decline stems from poor planning.
“Upon our return from the World Cup, did we have an iron-clad plan to continue to keep competing at the highest level?” he asked.
“I venture to say that it was skill and ability that got us to the 2007 World Cup, but a lack of strategic planning upon our return caused this drastic decline.”
