Bermuda's batsmen will have to overcome their longstanding problems of dealing with spin bowling if they are to have any chance of beating United Arab Emirates next week.

A weakness throughout the Island, the ability to play spin well is essential on the National Sports Centre pitch, which has a habit of turning from the first morning.

And while head coach David Moore hasn't yet resorted to asking the groundstaff to prepare a hard and fast wicket, he has been putting the Bermuda squad through extra batting practice.

"I think it would be quite difficult to take the spin out of that wicket," said Moore. "I don't mind if the wicket spins, or seams, as long as it bounce's true, as long as there is no up and down bounce.

"As long as it's not going to explode through the top, then you're pretty right.

"But we've been doing a little extra work, doing some drills on playing spin bowling, trying to expand their repertoire of shots, and their options to be able to play spin bowling. Whether or not it takes effect immediately is another thing."

Playing on small grounds, against average opposition has created a false impression among Bermuda's batsmen that the best way to deal with spin bowling is to try and hit the ball out of the ground. Unfortunately most end up getting caught on the large field at the NSC.

"What actually has interested me since I've been here is that the wickets do spin a fair bit, but we do play spin quite poorly, and I just don't know why that is," said Moore.

"You would think that they would play spin very well. When I say 'quite poorly', we don't play it as well as we should, and that's across the Island.

"Effectively my thoughts are is that our first port of call is to try and hit (spinners) out of the ground. And it just doesn't work at international level, that can't be your tactic.

"You've got have the other skills to play spin.

"And this is what the danger is when you can be an outstanding batsman here in the interesting conditions we play under, but those skills don't necessarily transfer to international level."

Next week's four-day Intercontinental Shield match is all about pride for Bermuda, they can't make it to the final of the competition in Dubai in November, but they can make sure they don't finish the competition pointless.

In the long term though it's all about building towards the ICC World Cricket League Division Two event which is scheduled to be held In UAE in April.

That tournament will involve six teams, Bermuda, UAE, Uganda, Namibia and the top two Division Three sides, playing a round robin format with play-offs then deciding final positions.

The first task will be to finish in the top four, thereby keeping High Performance Programme status, and gaining entry into World Cup qualifiers. Failure is unthinkable, a fifth or sixth finish would relegate Bermuda to Division Three.

n Willow Cuts batsman Chris Doulas has not been suspended by the BCB. A miscommunication between the Board and the media resulted in the reporting of a ban that has not been imposed.

n The BCB have announced the Under-19 squad for the 2010 Sir Garfield Sobers Tournament that begins next Monday, and runs to July 23.

The tournament will serve as ideal preparation for next year's America's Under-19 Regional Tournament and the Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers.

Under-19 national team: Kevon Fubler, Joshua Gilbert, Shea Pitcher, Tre Manders, Brian Hall, Kamau Leverock, Lateef Trott, Edward DeSilva, Winton Woodley, William White, Shaquille Jones, Christian Burgess, Kamel Easton, Greg Maybury, Deunte Darrell, Kwasi James.