Rarely has Clay Smith failed on the international stage.

Whenever crises have arisen, the seasoned campaigner has always come running to the rescue with the bat.

Back-to-back centuries in the former Red Stripe competition catapulted Smith to stardom in the Caribbean in the 1990s. And since those glorious performances with the bat the Whitney Institute schoolteacher has consistently been among the runs.

However, a troublesome knee injury that required surgery and recent deaths in the family seem to have had a negative effect on the Cleveland County player/coach.

Smith is currently experiencing every batsmen’s worst nightmare — a lean spell at the crease.

But with Bermuda’s historic opening World Cup match against former champions Sri Lanka just around the corner, Smith is all the more determined to finally break the shackles and deliver the goods for his country.

“I’ve sat down and done my homework and now it’s almost time for the big show to begin,” he said yesterday. “And hopefully I will be able to do well for the country. It’s been a battle physically and mentally basically. However, now that I am here it’s a matter of playing to the best of my ability and there’s really no excuses for under achieving.”

Smith hasn’t posted the numbers he would have liked since last summer’s Americas Championships in Ontario where he came good in the ICC Intercontinental Cup against hosts Canada.

“I feel good but it is now time to execute. And it has been very frustrating to be quite honest. I don’t think I’ve ever been in this position whereas I’m hitting the ball fairly well and feel that I am in good nick, but just getting out to low scores,” he added.

“So it is frustrating because normally when I am in good nick I am able to put up some big scores. But I do feel that something big is around the corner and so it’s just a matter of getting over that hump.”

Smith, however, has also had his share of distractions beyond the boundary ropes, in particular trying to retain his place in the team while mourning the death of his mother and arguably his biggest fan in brother Ray — himself a former all-round athlete.

Yet Smith refuses to use these tragic circumstances as an excuse for his current slump.

“It’s been really tough with the death of my mother and brother. But I don’t like to make excuses for my performances. And if anything this has made me even more determined to do well for the team and the country,” he said.

“I want to use this as motivation to make me try even harder and be successful. It’s just a matter of adapting and executing on the day.”

Asked whether he would prefer to bat lower down the order, Smith replied: “I am prepared to bat wherever the team needs me and right now I’m at the top. It’s a very tough job (opening the innings) and one that requires a lot of mental toughness. But now it’s time for me to do what’s best for the country. And I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

So far in Trinidad Smith has encountered pitches with variable bounce, something which he warned his team-mates to be wary of.

“The ball doesn’t move about much off the seam here. But the only problem I’ve found is the indifference in the bounce. On some of the pitches the ball carries through while on others it doesn’t,” he said.

“But hopefully I can get stuck in and bat for longer periods. It’s just the initial overs where I think you have to be really tough mentally and battle through them.”