No thought has yet been given to pulling Bermuda's national cricket team out of the Americas Cup, although concern is running high over the lack of commitment to training.

But such a drastic step might still be taken should Bermuda Cricket Board of Control fail in their attempts to improve attendance at training sessions.

Reginald Pearman, the Board's first vice-president, while stopping short of suggesting the tour to Argentina in March could be cancelled, said this week that the issue needed to be resolved soon.

"Hopefully it would never come to anything like that, let's not hope so anyway," Pearman said. "But in the case of the tour to Argentina, what we need is a full report from the coaching committee and the coaches themselves before we can assess the entire situation."

"Right now it's no secret that we are not getting the numbers out for training, though I understand that there was a slight improvement last week," added Pearman, who was speaking in the absence of Board president El James, who is abroad.

The Board announced a squad of 27 players back in September and were expected to increase the number to 30, but response has been similar to what was experienced last summer in the lead-up to the ICC Trophy in Toronto when turn-out at training failed to reach double figures at times.

Pearman, baffled and upset by the matter, which prompted the Board to meet with the squad two weeks ago to outline their concerns, accused the players of lacking commitment.

"It hasn't been that great at all," he said. "We may have to turn to a one-on-one situation, meet and talk with each player individually about their interest and commitment, and make some sort of decision after making an overall assessment.

"These players have to start being honest, they have to be honest with both themselves and the Board and they have to decide what they want to do.

"(The Board) go out there and strive to get things done for the country, avenues are opening all over the place and if these players are really serious then they have to come to the wicket and be accountable just like we, the officials, have to be accountable."

Pearman, who is one of two candidates to take over the presidency that will be vacated by James at next month's annual general meeting, said he shuddered at the thought of Bermuda ever having to withdraw from an international tournament after going to such great lengths to get that sort of exposure for local players. But he wondered what alternatives would be left if there was no desire for players to compete abroad.

"Those players would have relished the opportunities that are before the modern-day player, some of them may have even furthered their careers," Pearman said of the players of yesteryear. "I don't know what it's going to take to make things change. Those players were dedicated, they certainly jumped at the opportunity of representing their country, whether it was home or abroad.

"Perhaps we have to try to get through to the modern-day players early and show them what's what, what opportunities there are out there and take it from there. We have to keep hope alive that the message will get through."

Bermuda national coach Mark Harper said yesterday that he did not believe the delay in naming the next captain had anything to do with the problems over training.

Harper, who has become frustrated to the point where he voiced his feelings publicly in The Royal Gazette yesterday, added that he accepted that three of the candidates as Charlie Marshall's successor - Herbie Bascome, Clay Smith and Janeiro Tucker - were footballers and was not considering stopping them from playing.