Bermuda's defensive lynchpin Omar Shakir has been bestowed with the responsibility of the captain's armband against Trinidad and Tobago in Sunday's World Cup qualifier.

The Bermuda Hogges stopper has become national team coach Kenny Thompson's official on-field leader after taking over from Kwame Steede who captained Bermuda under previous coach Keith Tucker.

Shakir, who had the distinction of captaining his country during his international debut earlier this year, said the transition between him and previous skipper Steede had been a smooth one with no hard feelings.

"Kwame and I have a very amicable relationship," said Shakir.

"Obviously he plays for Devonshire Cougars and I play for PHC and there's plenty of rivalry there. I assume the transition has been smooth and there's always more than one leader on the field anyway.

"Before I got the captaincy I still saw myself as a leader and always tried to implement the coach's game plan.

"It's always a moral boost to get the nod from the coach and I'm looking forward to seeing if we can hang with Trinidad. It's a massive game for us."

Trinidad's main goal threat and Premier League striker Kenwyne Jones has already been ruled out through injury, but Shakir pointed out that The Soca Warriors were bound to have a wealth of worthy marksmen to fill his void.

"I been thinking about who I might be marking for some time," he said.

"I had been watching Jones' progress in the Premier League and it's unfortunate what happened to him. I would never wish to see a player get injured.

"I'm sure they will have someone quite as equipped as him to fill his place. I'm very optimistic about our chances against Trinidad."

National team coach Thompson said Shakir's maturity and respect within the dressing room made him the stand-out candidate to lead The Gombey Warriors out at The Marvin Macoya.

"Omar sets an example by the way that he lives his life," said Thompson.

"That carries over to the football field and he has the respect of his colleagues and the technical staff. He is player who can assist the coaches in bringing our concept onto the field. That type of character is important in a dressing room.

"At times the players need someone within their circle that they can talk to and listen for guidance in difficult situations. Omar fits that role."