Two players vying for the captain's role in Bermuda's Americas Cup cricket squad will have to wait another week to find out whether they have been picked.

Top batsmen Clay Smith and Albert Steede are believed to have been summoned for talks with Bermuda Cricket Board of Control's Coaching Committee last night.

However, it has been revealed that neither will find out if they have got the job until after next week's Annual General Meeting, a gathering at which BCBC president El James will stand down.

While admitting the squad had to be picked shortly so that names could be sent to the International Cricket Council (ICC), James, also current chairman of the Coaching Committee, said he believed there was no real urgency to appoint a captain.

"I don't think it's fair for us to make a decision now because it's not just a straightforward decision," he said yesterday. "Some thought will have to go into it with real reasoning. I know we will do what is right without any bias or conflicts and the recommendation will be made based on our findings.

"If the new executives think our recommendations have some foundation then they can go without it or change it," he added.

The Board's decision to delay the appointment has been questioned by the cricketing public with many being critical.

Of four potential candidates for the captaincy - Herbie Bascome and Janeiro Tucker were the others - Smith has been the only one to publicly declare he wants the job.

Yesterday he restated his desire, while denying rumours he had given the Board an ultimatum of 'hire me or I stay home'.

"I definitely want the job, I feel I deserve it, but I haven't given them an ultimatum," said the St. David's player-coach.

James, meanwhile, said he felt filling the captain's job was not so important while the team were in training.

"A squad doesn't need a captain at this stage, all it is is a name," he said. "We can name a skipper a week before, it shouldn't affect a training squad in any way.

"If that squad needs a captain to motivate them, a captain to lead them right now in training, then they are in serious trouble.

"We have a good coach out there assisting them - that captain will be needed when we go down to the competition."

Without naming names, James indicated there were only two players under consideration and if the word on the street is to be believed that would seem to rule out Bascome and Tucker.

The president added: "We will be conducting some interviews with two players, interviewing them about their desires for the post and what we will do is then make a recommendation to the incoming executive next week. If they are going to ratify it and confirm it then it's up to them."'

While backing coach Mark Harper, James said he found the apathy towards training, highlighted in recent weeks, difficult to deal with.

"It's not easy dealing with personalities. There are individuals who will give you every excuse in the world," he said. "Every time you give them an opportunity they have a different excuse. After a while you just have to let it roll off your back."

James said some of those in the national squad were just plain "lazy".

"When it comes down to it we have some individuals who have a legitimate reason why they can't train and we accept it," he said. "There are some who have personal reasons and we have some who are just lazy and will come up with any excuse not to train."

James said history had a lot to answer for.

"We have to look at the past when there were individuals who were able to go on tours and not train," he said. "We are talking habits. Habits have formed over the last ten years that are difficult to break.

"In some instances this is still the case where individuals will say they will come out two or three weeks before and expect to be picked."

However, James warned time was about to be called on the shirkers - with the Americas Cup possibly marking a new dawn.

"I don't think that will happen in this case and in the future I hope we will take those who are interested, who have some national pride and those who care and feel its an honour to represent their country,"' he said.