Bermuda opening bat Clay Smith has been an England fan for as long as he can remember.

But when he straps on his pads this morning to face the full brunt of an English attack, there'll be only one thing on his mind — how he can help to pull off what would be considered one of the biggest upsets in cricket history.

Smith and fellow veteran Dean Minors are likely to be given the responsibility of knocking the shine off the new ball, and it's a challenge Smith relishes . . . particularly against players who, if Bermuda can't win the World Cup, he'd like to see lift the trophy next month.

"I'm really up for the challenge," said Smith yesterday.

"Me, personally, being an English fan, I think it's a great opportunity to see just what we're going to be up against when the tournament begins.

"It's good preparation, just a matter of taking it one ball at a time, playing the ball and not the person."

And the former national team skipper acknowledged it would rank among one of the highlights of his career.

"Most definitely," he added.

"Like I said, being an English supporter, for me to play against my team, it's going to be overwhelming but I'm still looking to be successful and not let the moment override what I'm really trying to achieve and what we're trying to achieve as a team.

"It's going to be a very exciting day.

"It's really about getting out there, getting rid of the nerves and gaining some respect in world cricket. We're not expected to beat England but at the same time we're going into each game looking to win.

"Going out there tomorrow, we want to earn some respect."

Team-mate Saleem Mukuddem, meanwhile, couldn't hide his excitement after training yesterday, describing today’s match as one of the biggest days of his life.

“It’s not often you get an opportunity to be on the same field as some of the game’s biggest players, guys you see all of the time on TV, comfortable in front of the camera . . . so for us it’s just a great opportunity,” he said.

And facing some of the world’s top bowlers, he added, was something he also looked forward to.

“We’ve got to get used to it sooner or later, these are warm-up games which are going to prepare us for guys like Malinga of Sri Lanka and the Indian bowlers who do have a bit of pace. Sooner or later we’ve got to get used to it, so why not in the first warm-up match at a ground that looks really nice. “All the guys are up for it, we’ve trained hard for it, and we’ve got to a point now where we’ve got to let our bats do the talking.

“But whatever happens I’m going to enjoy it. I said to myself from the start that I was going to come here well prepared and give it my all.

“At the end of the day if my 100 percent wasn’t good enough, then it wasn’t good enough but at least I can walk away with my head held high and I’ll be able to say I had fun and I played cricket with the best, with a great bunch of guys and who knows if this kind of opportunity will ever present itself again.

“No matter what happens I’m going to have fun.”