England 286-8

Bermuda 45

The World Cup mountain Bermuda will attempt to climb when they join the giants of Test cricket in the tournament proper in less than two weeks’ time must have appeared even steeper last night as the players returned to their hotel shell-shocked by this comprehensive thrashing from England.

In what quickly turned into the mis-match many had feared, Bermuda slumped to their lowest-ever total in a one-day game and suffered their largest margin of defeat — by a whopping 241 runs.

Mercifully it might avoid a place in the record books as, with both sides being allowed to rotate 13 players in the field, it won’t have been considered an official contest by world governing body, the ICC.

But that will be of little consolation to Bermuda’s players or the smattering of Island fans who watched in bewilderment at the Arnos Vale ground as England’s five-pronged pace attack ripped through the batting order with consummate ease.

Prior to yesterday’s crushing loss, Bermuda’s lowest ODI total had been the 106 they mustered against Canada in a rain-reduced match in Nairobi, Kenya, last month.

As wickets fell almost too quickly for the scorers to keep pace, there was never any chance they could exceed that score — David Hemp ultimately the only man in double figures with a modest 11.

The next highest score, eight, could be found in the extras column.

Rash and irresponsible shots might have accounted for some of the wickets, but the brutal truth was that England’s bowlers were simply too good.

At one point Gloucestershire’s Jon Lewis, in his first match since being sent home from Australia with an ankle injury during the tour Down Under, had snapped up three wickets without conceding a single run. He eventually finished with the amazing figures of three for seven off four overs, which included two maidens.

Andrew Flintoff also had a day to remember, snaring two for three off 2.2 overs.

But none of the England bowlers will be dissatisfied with their day’s work, James Anderson recording two for eight off five overs (as well as holding three catches), Liam Plunkett returning one for 13 off five, Sajid Mahmood one for ten off four and spinner Monty Panesar one for one off his two overs.

While Bermuda will have been happy with their performance in the field — particularly the bowling of spinner Dwayne Leverock who earned high praise from both the England captain Michael Vaughan and the English media following excellent figures of two for 32 off ten — the day progressively got worse.

Having restricted their Test opponents to a respectable 286 for eight in the allotted 50 overs, they were dealt a severe blow when skipper Irving Romaine was instructed by ICC officials that he wouldn’t be allowed to bat after suffering blurred vision and concussion after landing on his head while fielding.

His vision might have seemed a lot more blurred as he was forced to watch from the balcony as one after another of his team-mates embarked on an almost continual procession in and out of the pavilion.

Dean Minors was first to fall, having already been dropped at cover point by Pietersen for one off Plunkett. He responded to that escape with a beautifully-timed square cut off the same bowler for four. But that was to be the last of his contributions to the total.

In the fifth over, the left-hander drove straight into Pietersen’s hands at mid-off off Plunkett and he was soon to be followed by OJ Pitcher, opening the innings instead of Clay Smith, as the St. David’s Islander was snapped up by Lewis at mid-on off Anderson for two.

At 15 for two after seven overs, it became clear Bermuda’s mission would be one of survival.

However, it quickly went from bad to worse, Stephen Outerbridge lobbing the ball into the hands of Pietersen off Anderson for seven, Kwame Tucker trapped in front by Anderson for two and Smith offering a faint edge to wicket-keeper Paul Nixon off Lewis without getting off the mark.

At 28 for five with only 12 overs gone, Hemp again found himself under pressure to stay at the crease.

But when Saleem Mukuddem (0) had his stumps shattered by Lewis and Lionel Cann, having smashed Lewis for four off his second ball, went for another slog and was bowled by Mahmood, there appeared no escape from the carnage.

The Glamorgan skipper, playing against cricketers he comes up against regularly during the English county season, looked the most accomplished of the Bermuda bats, striking two glorious boundaries in the 30 balls he faced.

Thankfully those shots carried Bermuda past the total of 35 scored by Zimbabwe against Sri Lanka — recorded as the lowest ever one-day total. But when Hemp hoisted Flintoff into the hands of Anderson with the total on 42, the end was in sight. Malachi Jones (one) attempted to sweep Panesar, only to give Anderson his second catch. And he claimed a third when last man Hurdle mistimed his second delivery off Flintoff to complete Bermuda’s misery with the total on an even more miserable 45.

Earlier in the day Bermuda had bowled and fielded reasonably well, at one stage reducing their opponents, who had opted to bat after winning the toss, to 186 for six.

But England put on another 100 runs in the last 14 overs, losing only two more wickets on the way, as number seven bat James Dalrymple upped the tempo — cracking three fours and two sixes in a top score of 76.

For the early part of their innings, England efficiently milked the singles as the scoreboard ticked along at almost six an over.

However, they were pegged back by Leverock, who combined with wicket-keeper Minors to snatch the key wickets of Pietersen (43) and Paul Collingwood (seven).

Paceman Hurdle had made the early breakthrough, clean bowling Ed Joyce for seven with a beautiful yorker and then dismissing Vaughan (18), who was brilliantly held at square leg by Hemp.

From 41 for two, Ian Bell (46) and Pietersen carried the score to 112 before another piece of magnificent fielding from Romaine, hanging onto a bullet of a pull shot from Bell off Jones, accounted for the third wicket.

Leverock then had Collingwood smartly caught by Minors and deceived Pietersen with a wonderfully-flighted ball which allowed the ‘keeper to whip off the bails with the batsman well out of his ground.

OJ Pitcher held two catches on the boundary to dismiss Flintoff (24) and Dalrymple off his good friend Delyone Borden, and the young spinner added a third scalp to his collection when Paul Nixon (17) was superbly caught by Hurdle on the long-on boundary.

But by this time Dalrymple had done enough to ensure England would have a very defendable total — one which Bermuda never remotely threatened.

While Leverock returned by far the best figures, Borden completed his spell with three for 71, Hurdle with two for 58, Jones one for 60 and Mukuddem nought for 56, all of them completing ten overs.

Bermuda bulldozed by England bowlers