Wesley Cricket Stadium (Rebels Cricket Club won toss): Bermuda beat Rebels Cricket Club by nine wickets

Bermuda’s 2024 ICC T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Qualifier preparations received a confidence boost after cruising to an emphatic win at the President Cup in Tampa, Florida, today.

The national team virtually had things all their own way in a nine-wicket thrashing of Rebels Cricket Club in their opening group B T20 contest at Wesley Cricket Stadium.

Zeko Burgess claimed four wickets, while captain Delray Rawlins and fellow all-rounder Kamau Leverock picked up two each as Rebels capitulated for 48 in 12.4 overs.

Leverock also made his presence felt with the bat in a 47-run opening stand with Terryn Fray which carried Bermuda to the brink of victory before the former was caught down the ground attempting to clear the boundary ropes.

It was left to incoming batter Tre Manders to wrap up proceedings, driving down the ground and scampering through for a double on a misfield to seal Bermuda’s convincing win with 14.2 overs to spare.

Earlier, Rebels won the toss and elected to take first strike on an artificial turf batting track.

Burgess made the early breakthrough with the new ball in the second over after bowling Sohil Merchant and then had Ashish Patel caught by Jacob Albertze at third man as Rebels quickly slipped to 13 for two.

Fellow seamer Leverock was introduced at the start of the fifth over and also made early inroads as he rattled opener Meetul Patel’s stumps with his third delivery.

He then pushed back Maksud Indawala’s middle stump with his very next delivery to place himself on a hat-trick which he was denied after being dispatched for a boundary.

Burgess came back for a second spell the next over and picked up where he left off after wicketkeeper Sinclair Smith caught Pranav Patel at short square leg.

Rebels finally found a little rhythm and picked up the run rate with Abhishek Pati smashing Derrick Brangman for two successive sixes in the eighth over which also saw the left-arm spinner fail to grasp a sharp return catch.

However, the momentum shifted back in Bermuda’s favour after Rawlins had Manav Patel held by Fray in the covers and then bowled Sumit Sehrawat with his next ball to leave Rebels reeling at 39 for seven.

Like Leverock, the Sussex player was unable to complete his hat-trick as incoming batter Rahul Desai survived.

Burgess came back for his third and final spell in the eighth over and made an immediate impact as he had Desai caught behind by the agile Smith with his first ball.

The seamer was unfortunate not to have bagged a five-for as he put down another difficult return catch off his own bowling.

However, Rebels would not go unpunished again as Pati was run out by wicketkeeper Smith in the same over before Brangman had last man Rakesh Patel caught by Albertze with no addition to the score in the next to end the innings.

Burgess was the pick of the Bermuda attack with four for seven while Rawlins took two for ten and Leverock two for 14.

Pati and Manav Patel, with 14 apeice, were the only Rebels batters in double figures.

Bermuda wasted no time replying to their paltry target, with Leverock putting a Rebel attack, that struggled with their line and length, to the sword.

The opener kept the scoreboard ticking over with some powerful hitting through and across the line in a knock of 20 from 12 balls.

Fray was equally as polished at the other end as he rotated the strike and took advantage of any loose balls in his top unbeaten innings of 22 from 20 balls.

Bermuda were ultimately denied the ten-wicket victory their dominant display deserved when Leverock was caught at long on off the bowling of Desai attempting to end the game in dramatic fashion, leaving Manders to finish the job.

The national team will face Triad Dragons (11am) and Tampa Tigers (7pm) in their remaining group matches today before departing to Argentina for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup Americas Sub-Regional Qualifier.

There they will take on Bahamas, Belize, Cayman Islands, Panama and hosts Argentina, with the top three teams joining Canada for the Americas Region Qualifier Finals in Bermuda in September.

The winner of that will clinch the last World Cup qualifying spot in the region.