Next month?s trip to the United Arab Emirates should provide ?just the sort of test we need?, according to coach Gus Logie.

The national cricket side make the long trip east in the final weeks of January for five one-day games against the host country, with Logie planning on taking a blend of youth and experience in his 15-man squad.

It will be the first cricket of a busy 2006 for Logie?s men and there will be plenty of changes from the side that went to Namibia two months ago due to a mixture of injury and unavailability.

But Logie is confident that the opposition will be perfect for what Bermuda are trying to achieve.

?They were one of the frontrunners to qualify for the World Cup and they are a useful side,? said Logie, who has played in the country on a number of occasions for both the West Indies and the West Indies Masters.

?I don?t think the team we saw in Namibia (for the Intercontinental Cup semi-finals) was their best side, they had a lot players missing, and I think they will be much stronger when we play them in their backyard.

?It is going to be just the cricketing test we need at this stage of our preparations.

?I am excited to be playing, it is important we have continuity and it is important we have as much competition as possible as we build up towards the World Cup.?

Bermuda will fly out towards the end of next month for five matches to be played over nine days against a home side made up mostly of Pakistani ex-pats with very few, if any, UAE-born players.

Logie?s side will have two days to rest from the long journey ? either flying through London or New York ? before playing two matches then a rest day, two more matches, then a rest day and then the final match.

?It is a lot of cricket in a few days but that is the sort of intensity we are looking for,? continued Logie, whose side have been training, mostly on fitness, for more than a month now.

?In the World Cup there is going to be a lot of cricket in a short space of time and our players need to be able to cope with that. I am confident that by the time we get there, we are going to be in the shape we need to be for those matches.

?Most of our training has been on fitness and we are going to be stepping it up as we go into the New Year. In January we are going to try and get out and do some work in the middle. It is going to be difficult because the players work and the weather is not all that great, but if we get any sunshine we are going to try and make the most of it and work on a few different things.?

Definitely ruled out for the trip are David Hemp, who has to remain here in an attempt to earn his 100 days residency requirement to be eligible for all ICC competitions, and Clay Smith, who is going under the knife early next year in an effort to get his left knee back into shape ahead of the World Cup.

But those who could be considered are the four players who are just completing the ICC Winter Training Camp in Pretoria, Jim West, Azeem Pitcher, Jekon Edness and Stephen Outerbridge, who played in the two one-day games at the end of the Namibia tour in October.

?Yes, we are going to be looking at those players,? continued Logie.

?It will be interesting to gauge how much they have improved by putting them in a match situation. They should be in good shape and they will certainly be considered for selection.

?It is difficult to say exactly who will be going yet as it is still quite early. Of course there are a core group of players who will be invited but I am going to try and mix youth with experience. But, yes, we are looking to the future but we are going to be sending a team which will represent Bermuda at the right level that is expected.?

Logie was also confident that both the weather and pitches would be very similar to the Caribbean, and therefore perfect preparation for the team ahead of the World Cup.

?We are looking at warm temperatures and slow, low wickets, good for spinners,? he added.