Cricket captain Clay Smith put his team?s capitulation in the final two games of the Namibian tour down to ?something in the Bermuda mindset?.

Bermuda earned international plaudits for the way in which they played in the three-day Intercontinental Cup semi-final losing draw to Kenya to open the tour, but they couldn?t reproduce that performance in their two ?friendly? matches against the hosts.

And Smith, who missed the final two games with a shoulder injury picked up in the field against Kenya, believes the sudden change in form was related to the team?s differing approach to competitive and friendly games.

?I would certainly say that the tour was a success,? said Clay, who said goodbye to his team-mates on Saturday before flying down on Sunday with Stephen Outerbridge to the ICC Winter Training Camp in Pretoria.

?I?d give it probably a seven out of ten. I am very proud way of the way the boys performed against Kenya. I think we showed a lot of people who were doubting us that we can compete at this level.

?And I really believe that if we won that toss we could have won the game.

?But against Namibia things just didn?t go well. After all the efforts of the Kenya game, I just think that the boys were tired and some of them were hurt and we just couldn?t raise our game.

?We?ve seen it before and it is something in the Bermuda mindset where we struggle to raise our game in the friendly games even though we can do it when it counts.

?That is something we need to work on.?

When it was suggested to him that maybe the team should have headed home on the Wednesday after the Kenya game, heads held high and proud, rather than have left under the cloud of double defeat, the skipper was adamant that there was something gained from the final games despite the results.

?No, no, I think we were right to stay,? continued Smith, who led the charge against Kenya with a patient, solid and vital captain?s innings of 126 not out.

?There is something to be learned from every single cricket game and that applies to these two as well. Our performances lacked urgency and I think some of the boys were just going through the motions but we still saw some important things.

?It gave people like Stephen Outerbridge and Kevin Tucker some exposure. One thing we realised from this is that you have to turn up for every game and perform, because if you don?t you are going to struggle.

?There are no easy games and you can?t be complacent in any match. International cricket is a steep learning curve and this gave us another chance to see exactly how far we have to go.

?We can go away from this and look at the things we need to work on. We have a long time until the World Cup and every game will give us something, win or lose.?

Despite the disappointment of the two defeats ? and the acrimony of the final game ? Smith, as well as everyone else in Bermuda cricket, still sees this as the greatest season of his career.

?Oh, without a doubt,? he said with a smile.

?Some of our guys have been playing cricket for 15 years waiting for a summer like this. Qualifying for the World Cup and then going to Canada and winning the Americas tournament, it has been incredible.

?And we have to go on from here and make the most of the Government investment and the renewed interest in the sport and try and set up a legacy for the next generation of cricketers.

?We are in a position and at a time when things are really happening and it is a joy to be along for the ride.

?A lot of people have been putting a lot of work in for a long time now and we are finally reaping rewards.?

In the short term, while his team-mates travelled back home via Angola on another gruelling journey, Smith was sunning himself in Namibia for one more day before the hop over to Pretoria for a coaching course.

The ICC are holding their Winter Training Camp there, with players from all the Associate members including Bermuda?s Outerbridge, Azeem Pitcher, Jim West and Jekon Edness.

Coach Gus Logie is going down later in the month for a two-week stint while Smith will stay for the remainder of the camp ? until the first week of December.

As part of the ICC?s long-term plan, they are encouraging senior players from the Associate nations to take coaching courses, with the camp the perfect place for them to complete the certification and get the hours in under the watchful eyes of top-class international coaches.

?It?s a great opportunity,? said Smith, who thanked his wife Nicole and three children for putting up with the burden of his continued absence.

?I?ve always wanted to do this and this will be a great place to take the coaching courses and learn from the best.

?Long-term I have ambitions to be involved in the national set-up so I am keen to get all the necessary skills and experience I can.

?And I think the camp itself is a great initiative. It?s so important for our players to get this level of coaching and help ? it is one of the benefits of qualifying for the World Cup and will do the game back home a lot of good in the longer term.

?Qualifying it is not just about the national team getting to go to the West Indies, it is so much more than that and sending our players ? and coaches ? away is a vital part of the process.?

The national team are without any further matches until a training camp in Trinidad in March before a heavy summer of travelling which is scheduled to include three trips to Africa, three to Canada as well as possibly one each to England and the Caribbean.