Janeiro Tucker is looking to bow out with a bang in what could be his last tournament as captain of Bermuda.

Tucker was instrumental in leading Bermuda into the 2007 World Cup, during the qualifying tournament in Ireland in 2005, and as the captain and the team’s most experienced batsman will carry similar responsibilities in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division Three starts today.

Bermuda get their tournament underway with two tough opening matches against the United States tomorrow and Nepal on Friday.

“This might be my last tournament as captain, so I really want to go out on top and hopefully be able to take my country to Division Two and leave us in a good position,” said Tucker, who was stand-in captain in Ireland after an injury to Clay Smith during the tournament.

Bermuda finished fourth in the last edition of WCL Division Three, which was played on home soil, and Tucker said the nail-biting end to the tournament, in which his team won their last group match against the US but finished behind Uganda and the US on net run-rate, is motivation for his team in Malaysia.

“To come so close to qualifying and then lose out on net run-rate gives us the belief that we can get over that last hurdle with that extra effort from all 14 players,” Tucker said. “The only objective is to qualify for WCL Division Two so we can try to get Bermuda cricket back where it belongs.

“The team has been preparing the best way we can, training three times per week and trying to improve that extra little bit to get us to Division Two.”

Bermuda have played two warm-up matches in Dubai before the tournament, losing both to the United Arab Emirates.

In the first match, UAE scored 281 for seven from 50 overs and then dismissed Bermuda for just 127 to win by 154 runs. Terryn Fray top scored for Bermuda with 39, with Kamaul Leverock claiming three for 32 and Malachi Jones two for 29.

Bermuda’s batting improved in the second match, scoring 252 but the bowlers could not penetrate the solid UAE batting, with the home side replying with 253 for three in 43.5 overs, with two players, Andri Berenger and Khurnam Khan retiring after scoring 100 and 50 respectively. Janeiro Tucker claimed the only wicket, giving up 40 from ten overs.

Allan Douglas has been appointed as Bermuda’s temporary head coach after Arnold Manders had to withdraw having contracted pneumonia for the second time in six months

All six teams in Malaysia will play five matches in the round-robin format, for the chance to finish in the top two places and progress to Division Two in Namibia in January 2015.