West Indies coach Andre Coley is again coming to Bermuda’s aid in the quest to qualify for the 2026 ICC Under-19 World Cup.

Coley, who has been employed as a high-performance consultant by the Bermuda Cricket Board, has been on the island for two weeks working alongside coach Clay Smith.

The Jamaican will also form part of the Bermuda contingent leaving for the ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifier Americas Region today, with the tournament starting in Rydal, Georgia, on Saturday.

Bermuda will play two matches against Argentina, Canada and the United States, with the team finishing top of the table securing the sole ticket to a tournament co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia early next year.

Smith, who was appointed to the role of under-19 coach in April, believes the final stages of preparation have been rigorous for his talented group of players.

“Andre Coley came in for the last two weeks of our preparation and we had a camp last week,” Smith told The Royal Gazette.

“It was an intense camp and we’re as prepared as we can possibly be. We just need to rock up and play to the best of our ability. That’s all we can do, represent our country with pride.”

Smith, who has been juggling his role over the last few weeks with that of St George’s Cup Match coach, has high expectations for his players.

Captain Zeri Tomlinson, vice-captain Luke Horan, Isaiah O’Brien, Luke Fulton and Keegan Jones all featured in Cup Match as either colts or reserves. Callum McIntosh, Sa-Qui Robinson and the MacFarlane brothers, Callum and James, are considered rising stars in the side, who finished third in the previous tournament in Canada two years ago.

“I’m looking for big things from these guys,” Smith said.

“As you saw in Cup Match, we have some talented youngsters who are more than ready. We’ve been training for quite some time now and I’ve had these players for the last three months.

“I don’t know just how good Canada and the United States are. But I know my players have quality and that they’ll go out there, fight and put in our best performances.

“If we can play to our true potential, I have no doubt that we can definitely be competitive and win some matches there.

“We have our gameplan as to how we want to play 50-overs cricket. It doesn't matter who we play, we’re going to have our strategy as to how we want to approach the game.”

Before taking to the field at Param Veers Sports Complex against Argentina on Saturday, Bermuda will have a last-minute chance to prepare with two warm-up matches scheduled for the team.

Bermuda’s sole appearance at the Under-19 World Cup came in 2008 when the tournament was held in Malaysia. Rodney Trott led the island’s team to third position in group D, with losses to England and Bangladesh, with their sole victory coming against Ireland.