New national cricket coach Roland Butcher will accompany the Bermuda team taking part in the Red Stripe Bowl in Antigua next month.

The Bermuda Cricket Board of Control's decision marks a break with tradition as on some previous occasions the coach has been left behind when the senior side have gone on tour.

BCBC president El James said it was vital for Butcher to assist Winston Reid in coaching the side now, as the Red Stripe is being viewed as a build-up towards the ICC Tournament in Canada next year.

Cricket's previous administration was often questioned for travelling to tournaments without a national coach, but James assured that this would not be the policy of the current administration.

He said that it was important to have Butcher become an integral part of the tour, defending the reason for having the coach -- who returns to England shortly after a two-week familiarising visit to the Island -- join up with the team by flying directly to Antigua from England in two weeks.

"We are looking ahead and we feel that in order to get ourselves ready for the ICC tournament next year and improve on our bid to qualify for the World Cup it is important that the person responsible for getting the team ready for that big event be on hand to see the team perform in a tough tournament situation like the Red Stripe Bowl,'' said James.

"We look at it this way, we have just brought on a new coach who is not totally unfamiliar with Bermuda but unfamiliar in the sense that he hasn't been a part of our Board's life in the Island. And this will help the process in getting him better acquainted in that sense.'' The president explained that Butcher had been well briefed about his job description and was well aware of the challenges that lie ahead, challenges that lie at various levels of cricket, and he is looking ahead with enthusiasm.

"During the last two weeks that he has been here we have tried to give him a feel of what is to be done here, make him aware of the level of cricket competency that we have, we have taken him to the schools, he's seen games but now we have to go a step further and let him see us in a tournament situation,'' said James.

"This way he will get first hand knowledge of what we have, he will know where our weaknesses and strengths are, he will know exactly what to work on when he comes back and takes full charge of the squad.

"That's the reason why we are taking him. Mr. Reid will be working with him in Antigua, they are working together right now, they had a great fielding session at National Stadium on Wednesday, they are doing lots of things together and all is working well.

He added: "If we are going to look beyond the Red Stripe we can't miss the opportunity of having him down there in Antigua to see us in a tournament situation such as this, it's something that we regard as being a sensible move,'' said James.

He was reluctant to comment on the absence of key players from the touring squad such as Albert Steede, Dexter Smith, Glenn Blakeney, Lionel Cann, Dean Minors and Mark Ray -- but the response he gave indicated that the non-inclusion of most was not restricted to unavailability.

"I will not zero in on any individual's absence, but we do have some criteria when it comes to team selection,'' said James.

"When we first talk about commitment the first thing we are looking at is players coming out to train. If a person is not training then we have to view it as a lack of commitment and therefore a lack of commitment means we have to look at somebody else who has been out there to every training session, one who is showing commitment, enthusiasm and the national pride that we always want one to exhibit. That's one of the criteria that the selectors used on this occasion,'' said James.

"It's not just the name player we look at. The Bermuda public need to look at the commitment the individuals are showing.

"I hope the public will realise that the squad chosen are the individuals who have our best interest at heart, these are the ones who have the national pride and commitment who are going to go down there to the Caribbean and give their country 100 percent.''