Bermuda’s cricketers took time to unwind yesterday, given the day off by coach Gus Logie to do whatever they wanted following Monday’s confidence-sapping annihilation by India at the Queen’s Park Oval.

It was a defeat which while writing Bermuda’s name in the record books for all the wrong reasons also all but brought to an end their World Cup journey.

The players must now lift themselves for a final group match against Bangladesh on Sunday.

Yesterday the players spent the day with family and friends. Even coach Gus Logie was reluctant to talk about cricket in general or Monday’s defeat specifically, telling The Royal Gazette he simply wanted to relax.

Some players, however, were happy to chat with the media, teenager Malachi Jones still on cloud nine after his sensational World Cup entry when he snared the wicket of Indian opener Robin Uthappa with his very first delivery.

“After I took that wicket everything went crazy... I was so overwhelmed. But I just tried to stay focused,” Jones recalled.

Another youngster, Delyone Borden, revealed how he was dedicating every World Cup game he played to his late father Delby, a former national team player and manager who passed away shortly before Bermuda qualified for the current tournament.

“I always think about him... what he has given to me as a cricketer and also as a father. He was the one that introduced me to the game, and I always think about him,” Borden said.

Veteran Clay Smith, meanwhile, said he had only himself to blame for being dropped for the match against India and revealed he would be taking a six-month break from international cricket once the World Cup was over, although he had no intention to retire from the game.

All-rounder Saleem Mukuddem declined to give his side of the story in an episode which resulted in him being suspended for Monday’s game, most likely for fear of being disciplined again.

Bermuda Cricket Board would only say that Mukuddem had been hit with a one-match ban for failing to attend a team function, thus contravening the BCB’s strict code of conduct. But they refused to divulge any more details.