Clay Smith leads the Bermuda national cricket team into the upcoming World Cricket League Division Four tournament in Los Angeles confident promotion back into Division Three is within reach.

Bermuda, who will play three warm-up matches against Canada this weekend at the National Sports Centre, will compete against the hosts USA, Oman, Denmark, Italy and Jersey with the top two teams in the round robin tournament advancing to the November 5 final with promotion assured.

Ten players who went on last month’s tour to Canada have been included in the squad, which will be captained for the first time by OJ Pitcher who has recovered from a knee injury that kept him out of last month’s trip to Canada. His vice-captain will be Terryn Fray while veteran Dean Minors, who was recently invited to train with the squad after several wicketkeepers became unavailable, will be the wicketkeeper along with Stephen Bremar of Cleveland.

Smith, the national coach, is happy with the make-up of the team which includes overseas-based pair Kamau Leverock and Delray Rawlins who left to return to the UK on Tuesday but will join the team in California. Bremar, Cejay Outerbridge, the St David’s left arm seamer, spinner Jordan Smith of Bailey’s Bay and Brian Hall of Western Stars are still relative newcomers to the national set-up, but have shown the commitment asked of the coach.

“A lot of it comes down to me highlighting to them that they’re here because they are good enough,” Smith said. “Once I get them to believe they are good enough then they can back themselves to put in a good performance.

“We’re not looking for miraculous things from a ‘rookie’ but looking for him to play to his strengths and understand his role within the team. I’m going to drive that to them, to motivate them and get the best out of them.

“It will be a good opportunity for me to see, under pressure and at another level, if they can execute it or not.

“From day one we as a group set out our standards and at no time did we consider swaying from it.”

Smith appreciates the magnitude of the task but is confident the senior players such as Pitcher, Fray, Dion Stovell and Minors can lead the way.

“For the last two months every single day I have been eating, drinking and sleeping this,” the coach said.

“Not a day goes by that I’m not doing something, or revisiting something, that can enhance this team’s opportunity of being successful. The reality is as the onus falls on me and we all have a vision of getting us back to Division Two and it starts now. The pressure is on me but I also know my team is prepared.”

Pitcher, who has been out of competitive action since just after Cup Match, has been recovering from a knee injury and is looking forward to leading his country for the first time.

“The team and I are very excited about the upcoming tournament and the chance to reclaim a place back in WCL Division Three,” Pitcher said this week.

“There have been a lot of changes in the squad and many new young faces are eager to prove themselves on the international stage.”

The United States will be hosting an International Cricket Council World Cricket League divisional event for the first time when Los Angeles stages the tournament from October 29 to November 5.

The top two sides will gain promotion while the bottom two will drop to Division Five in the system of continuous promotion and relegation between divisions. The third and fourth teams will remain in Division Four.

Reaching Division Two will allow Bermuda to qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in 2018 when the top two from that division will join the top four sides from the ICC World Cricket League Championship and the bottom four sides from the ICC ODI team rankings in the 2018 qualifier.

Bermuda and the US, who both dropped down from WCL Division Three last year, will clash on the opening day of competition in Los Angeles, both with one goal in mind.

Squad: OJ Pitcher (captain), Terryn Fray (vice-captain), Tre Manders, Delray Rawlins, Dion Stovell, Dennico Hollis, Kamau Leverock, Brian Hall, Dean Minors, Stephen Bremar, Greg Maybury, Jordan DeSilva, Cejay Outerbridge, Jordan Smith. Standby: Zeko Burgess, Micah Simons, Kwame Tucker.

Coach: Clay Smith. Assistant coaches: Reggie Tucker, Lorenzo Tucker. Director: Terry Fray, Physio: Danielle Richold.

• Bermuda will depart Los Angeles on Tuesday before their first game on October 29.