Clay Smith believes Bermuda’s cricketers must re-discover their love for the game if the Island is to ever qualify for the World Cup again.Even then, the man who helped guide his country to their only World Cup appearance believes it could be ten years before Bermuda produces a team good enough to perform on the world stage.Four years ago Smith was getting ready to play for Bermuda in their first Cricket World Cup match against Sri Lanka. This time around he’ll be in England, watching on with mixed emotions and wondering what might have been.“My one abiding memory from four years ago was walking to the wicket to face the first ball ever for Bermuda in a World Cup and to see so many Bermuda fans in the crowd cheering for their country. It was a dream come true,” said Smith.“To be quite honest, watching this year’s tournament will be tough because, for me, my World Cup experience was a disaster, and I really wish I could go back and do it all over again, but that is impossible.”At least Smith can have regrets. Roll on four years and things have changed to such an extent that the chances of the Island’s cricketers one day returning to the world stage seem as remote as ever.Even without the ICC’s decision to reduce the World Cup to just 10 teams in the future, Bermuda have fallen so far that just considering the possibility of qualifying appears a little far-fetched.In April the team travel to Dubai for the ICC Division Two qualifiers where a top two finish could secure them a place in the Intercontinental Cup, and take them a step closer to regaining their place among the elite of the Associate nations.However, a bottom two finish, which is also a possibility, would bring relegation to Division Three and the backwaters of international cricket.Smith though believes that the backwards step should be viewed in the context of the players that Bermuda lost in the years after the World Cup in 2007, and sees no reason why a side in the future can’t follow in his team’s footsteps.“I am a very positive thinking person so I have to say yes, we can qualify again, but the question is, when,?” said Smith. “When I look at a team like Canada, it certainly gives me hope.“We used to beat Canada for fun but now they are playing in the World Cup regularly. I see no reason why we can’t do it again. Let’s not forget that we are the smallest country ever to play in the World Cup and to achieve such a feat was miraculous. That group of players was special, gifted, mentally tough and 100% committed. It will take a special group of players to make it happen again.“But our senior program took a massive drop due to the fact that too many senior players all bowed out at the same time. This left the team vulnerable, leaving the team short of quality. This team was a generation of special players.“The last time Bermuda had a team of that quality was back in 1994, when we fell just short of qualifying in Kenya. If that is anything to go off of it could be another ten years before we realistically see a team good enough to challenge for a World Cup berth.”Still, changes need to be made on both a domestic and international level if that is to happen, and for Smith the two most important points are focusing specialist coaching on the brightest players, and helping the Island’s players regain their passion for the sport.“Bermuda has the talent, there is no doubt about that, but what is, holding us back is the players mental approach to the game as well as their commitment to preparing their mind for the game,” said Smith.“Players nowadays use cricket as just a pass-time hobby. This lack of love and passion for the game is the main contribution to the demise of cricket in Bermuda. Our players simply do not love the game enough, and, until we find some passionate players who have drive, heart and desire to want to be the best, then we will always be on the outside looking in.“There are several facets of Bermuda cricket that need improving, but I would focus the resources on smaller group training with specialist coaches. Players from each age group would be hand chosen and train two to three times a week on their specific skill, whether it be fast bowling, spin bowling, batting or wicketkeeping.“An example of this would be fast bowlers in each age group training Mondays and Wednesdays under the control of Adrian King and Winston ‘Coe’ Trott. David Moore would have appointed the coaches of course thus adhering to his overall methodology of preparedness for training.”