Bermuda umpire Roger Dill is set to make history in Trinidad this week alongside the national squad.

While Gus Logie?s men play their first ever official One-Day International, the 48-year-old fireman will become the first member of the ICC?s Associate umpires? panel to stand in a ODI during the upcoming tri-series between Zimbabwe, Bermuda and Canada.

He will officiate alongside Emirates Elite Panel umpire Simon Taufel while former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd will act as match referee for the four matches starting on May 16.

?I?m pleased to be invited (to officiate) and also very excited,? said Dill as he prepared for his trip to the Caribbean.

?I didn?t realise I would be the first person from the Associates and Affiliates to umpire a ODI but the chance to do that is a great vote of confidence in the new panel.

?It shows the ICC is now looking at all umpires, no matter where they come from, and no one is out of the circle.?

Dill?s rise is especially impressive given he has been umpiring for less than ten years and he admitted he began by chance and not because of any burning ambition.

?I started in 1997 when I went to watch a friend playing and they were short of an umpire,? he said.

?I was told afterwards I didn?t do too badly so I went to a few meetings to learn more, I found it fun and interesting and it went from there.?

?I did play a bit as well but I never expected to get this far in my umpiring career,? he added. ?Now I just want to continue to enjoy the game, make myself available whenever I can and umpire consistently at as high a level as I can.?

It means Dill will have to take time off from his job as a sergeant in Bermuda?s fire service but he views it as a worthwhile sacrifice.

?There have been a couple of instances where I have had to take some leave and my colleagues have also been willing to cover for me,? he said.

?It is all worth it for something like this. When we get these sorts of opportunities as Associate and Affiliate umpires then it is part of our responsibility to take them.?

Dill believes his job as a firefighter, one he has done for almost 30 years, has helped him in his efforts as an umpire.

?They do have some similarities,? he said. ?They both involve being under pressure and everyone around you expects you to be calm and in control.?

Now he has the chance to work with the ICC?s umpire of the year Taufel and Lloyd, a legend of the game, and he cannot wait.

?Simon is one of the top elite umpires and he came and spoke to us during a recent meeting in Dubai,? he said.

?He is so professional in everything he does, his dedication and attention to detail is amazing and I can only gain from his experience and knowledge.

?And to be part of Clive?s team will be a great thing given the way he is revered in the cricket world.?

The national squad leave tomorrow for the tournament which sees Canada take on Zimbabwe on May 16 followed the next day by Bermuda?s first ever ODI against Canada and then Zimbabwe the following day.

The final of the triangular series will be played on May 20.