THE decision this week by Dwayne (Sluggo) Leverock, Lionel Cann and Janeiro Tucker to bow out of international cricket was no more surprising than their team's elimination from the World Cup Qualifiers a few days' earlier.

Each have made valuable contributions over the years but their retirement is timely. At least two others in the current national squad must now follow suit.

As much as they'd like to leave on a high, the wind of change gusting through Bermuda cricket has left no option.

National coach Gus Logie's future most likely lies elsewhere. He's said as much, noting that too many players lacked professionalism and desire. He has all but indicated that some of those under his charge were 'uncoachable'.

Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) president Reggie Pearman, tight-lipped until this week about national team players, has finally admitted a lack of pride largely contributed to the side's failure at the South Africa tournament.

And in the eyes of the international media, Bermuda's cricket reputation has been tarnished to the extent that it may take years to repair.

Had it not been for the sterling efforts of David Hemp, who will emerge from the Qualifiers with the highest average of any batsman following three unbeaten centuries and a half-century, the ever-improving Stephen Outerbridge and Rodney Trott, Bermuda's humiliation would have been intolerable.

Even in victories over Oman and Uganda when the damage had already been done (a classic case of too little, too late), weaknesses were exposed. That a team such as Uganda could put more than 350 runs on the board said an awful lot about Bermuda's toothless attack – a huge hole in the armoury that was so ruthlessly exposed by opponents earlier in the tournament.

As noted in last week's column, the group stage defeats in Potchesfroom may yet prove to be a blessing in disguise as the senior national squad disintegrates and the programme returns to square one.

But comments published since that column appeared have reinforced what many had already suspected – that programme should have been ripped apart, certain players put out to pasture and more faith instilled in the abundance of young talent, long before the airline tickets to South Africa were booked.

Here's what some of the overseas observers said:

Martin Williamson, executive editor of Cricinfo: "Bermuda departed the scene not with all guns blazing so much as with a parp, a shrug, and one eye on where that night's party was at.

". . . (They) lurched from one self-inflicted disaster to another. Gus Logie, the long-suffering national coach, was more often than not found lamenting his charges' failure to attend training. Allegations of drug abuse surfaced, and there were instances of infighting, both physical and verbal.

"The Bermuda Cricket Board hardly covered itself in glory either. It failed to ensure there was a semi-decent playing surface on the island. For most of their four years as an ODI country, the team had to play away, as the ICC would not approve the national ground.

"The Board repeatedly clashed with its own players, often operated behind closed doors, and at the World Cup many of its members seemed preoccupied with ensuring they got tickets and hospitality rather than worrying about what was happening on the field.

"The Board is likely to implode in a sea of recrimination, and heads simply have to roll for allowing such a shambles to rumble on for so long when the warning signs were so clear to see."

"And so Bermuda head home, and few will miss them. If proof were needed that money was not the be-all and end-all, then here is a wonderful example."

Will Luke, assistant editor of Cricinfo: "As an indicator to Bermuda's apathy, one coach told me he saw many of their players either in the bar or, on the first night of their trip, in the local casino. Not the ideal preparation to qualify for the World Cup, you might think, and you'd be spot on too.

"As Logie told Cricinfo a few days ago, the desire and hunger just hasn't been there. It's all been a bit of a jolly for the past four years."

Williamson and Luke, it should be pointed out, have no axe to grind. In the past Cricinfo have published glowing accounts of Bermuda's ascendancy.

But like so many others, they've witnessed first hand the team's rise and fall.

As that popular website points out, while some Bermuda players have failed miserably in their attempts to meet international standards both on and off the field, there have been those within the BCB – managers and excecutives – who must be held accountable for this sorry state of affairs.

Was it not coincidence the BCB waited until this week to announce that national squad player Kevin Hurdle had been banned for a year for swearing at an official? That official had reportedly told Hurdle to go outside if he wanted to smoke. Shouldn't a pace bowler have been disciplined right there and then for simply having a cigarette in his hand?

But that seems to have been the 'softly, softly' approach that the BCB have used in dealing with their unruly players.

Hurdle was supposedly left out of the squad to travel to South Africa because of injury. Was that the real reason? Injured or not, he couldn't possibly have been considered given the charge he faced.

Why the secrecy? What is it the BCB are frightened to tell the public to whom they are supposedly accountable?

The Board no doubt would also have liked to have kept under wraps the case of Delyone Borden had the media not quickly got wind of his antics during the Caribbean tour where he walked off the field in a pay protest. Hurdle's case wasn't revealed until the tournament was over, until the BCB thought it appropriate to announce they had taken action.

How many other players have been guilty of the same kind of offences and the public never informed?

Is there any wonder that coach Logie is sick to the teeth of some of those under his charge who have scarred not only this country's reputation but damaged his own.

What's particularly sad is that it takes the actions of only two or three players to smear the entire team. Yet that's proved enough for those on the International Cricket Council and in the international media to tar all of Bermuda's players with the same brush.

Nobody, for instance, has done more to put Bermuda on the cricket map than Leverock. While the heavyweight spinner has been ridiculed in some quarters for carrying too much meat around the middle, there are plenty of players within both Associate and even Test circles who have marvelled at his enormous talent.

Had it not been for Sluggo, Bermuda probably wouldn't have qualified for the last World Cup.

Now Bermuda's cricketing future has been handed over to a new generation. The likes of Outerbridge and Trott are the new leaders and must pave the way in changing both the attitude and mindset of those in the youth ranks who aspire to represent their country.

And they'll need the support of a governing body who in the past few years clearly haven't enforced the kind of discipline required for their players to be competitive outside of the domestic game.

What we'll see over the next couple of years is whether lessons have been learned.

If they haven't, no amount of Government funding or ICC support will make the slightest difference.

* * * *

SPORTS Minister Glenn Blakeney refused an interview with a Royal Gazette reporter while in South Africa, whining that this newspaper "never has anything good to say about me."

That, perhaps, is because since taking charge of a ministry which affects so many on this small island, he's done virtually nothing worthy of comment.

Other than making a complete mockery of the Annual Sports Awards, his contributions have been negligible. He's not held a single press conference, not released a single statement regarding any sport, and made no attempt to outline his policies, if indeed he has any.

However, the real reason he wouldn't speak to our reporter could have had something to do with the fact there were a few awkward questions he might have struggled to answer, such as:

1) Were Government satisfied with their return on an $11 million investment in cricket?

2) Was there any point in he travelling to South Africa only in time to watch the final match when Bermuda had already been eliminated.

3) And if there was a point, exactly what was it? (Perhaps he believed a place in the Super Eight was 'a given'.

4) Oh, and finally, did money for the air fare, accommodation and other expenses come out of his own pocket or that of the taxpayer?

Simple questions requiring simple answers.

If he won't tell The Gazette, perhaps he can inform the taxpayers through his own media outlet. I'm sure the guys at HOTT radio will say 'something good' about their employer.

– ADRIAN ROBSON