HAMILTON (day three of four): Bermuda 175 & 21-1 with nine wickets remaining trail Namibia (6pts) 320 & 153-9 dec by 277 runs.

There are not enough words in the English language to adequately describe Bermuda's performance in the ICC Intercontinental Cup against Namibia yesterday.

Here though are a few to start with - dimwitted, unintelligent, brainless, stupid, lazy, stubborn, courageous, determined.

During the course of the day Bermuda displayed all these characteristics and several more, and yet one word encapsulates the lot, frustrating.

The number of times this team have thrown a game away from a promising position are too numerous to mention. They have done it when winning games, chasing games, and saving games.

Yesterday they did it from a position of strength, and any good they had done at the start of the innings was wrecked by the familiar collapse in the middle.

Beginning the day on 91-1, they collapsed to 175 all out, and having then restricted Namibia to 153-9 declared in the second innings, ended the day 21-1 still 277 runs adrift. Sensible batting yesterday may have been enough to secure a draw. As it is they begin today battling to save a game, something that on this evidence they appear singularly incapable of doing.

If anyone epitomised the truly awful nature of Bermuda's batting it was Lionel Cann, a player who is just not cut out for the rigors of the four-day game.

He is far from being the only one, questions must surely be asked about the future of Irving Romaine who failed again, but Cann failed doing the only job he is asked to do.

The St David's captain came to the wicket with Bermuda struggling on 122-4, he lasted 11 balls, was dropped once, and was then out after skying a catch to mid-on playing a ridiculous shot off the fast bowling of Louis Klazinga.

Of the batsmen only Jekon Edness, Oronde Bascome and Chris Douglas really got starts, and where then unable to build on that, and they rode their luck too.

Namibia dropped three catches, and Douglas was fortunate not to have been run out on more than one occasion.

However, having collapsed to 175 all out, they then did everything they could to keep Namibia within sight.

No one did more than Stefan Kelly, who shouldered much of the responsibility once Ryan Steede had gone off injured again. Kelly finished with 4-53, and at least gave his side a fighting chance.

It might have been even better, with Namibia at one stage reeling at 60-6 in their second innings, but Gerrie Snyman (57) and Tobias Verwey (34*) gave them a lead that is likely to be beyond Bermuda's reach.

They will not be helped in their endeavors by a pitch that is starting to pose some serious problems for the batsmen.

During the course of yesterday's play, nineteen wickets fell, more than can reasonably be expected in a four-day match. While Namibia gave some of their wickets away setting a total, and Bermuda threw some of theirs away through lack of concentration and sheer stupidity, the pitch has started to become a little inconsistent.

The bounce at one end was so unpredictable that for a time deliveries were flying through at ankle-height one minute and at head height the next.

Spin is also becoming more of an issue, and with Deon Kotze already having claimed 4-31 in the first innings,

Namibia have more than enough firepower available to fancy their chances of sealing their sixth win in this year's competition.