Bermuda young all-rounder Isaiah O’Brien will carry out his North American Cup preparations in Ontario, where he has also started his studies at Humber College.

O’Brien will train at the Ontario Cricket Academy as he ramps up for the trip to Cayman Islands later this month. The move puts him in a high-performance environment and against stronger competition ahead of representing Bermuda against Bahamas and the host nation.

“Preparing for the North American Cup while I’m in Ontario gives me a good opportunity to keep working on my batting consistently, especially because I have access to the academy’s indoor facilities,” O’Brien told The Royal Gazette.

“I’ll also be playing a few more games in the men’s league before the season finishes, which gives me the chance to face different opponents, challenge myself and get more experience.”

He gets an immediate test today when he is expected to feature for Derek Perera’s side in the Delhi Capitals Academy Cup Canada.

It is a big stage with scouts from the Indian Premier League franchise casting their eye on the talent on display, which could open doors for the Bermudian teenager to showcase his all-round skills on an international platform.

It has been a busy summer for O’Brien, who made his international debut during the ICC T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Qualifier at home in June.

After Cup Match, he helped OCA win the Mississauga Cup as part of the Canadian International Cricket Festival. He then flew home to represent St David’s in the league and Eastern Counties final round against Bailey’s Bay last Saturday.

O’Brien is planning to join his college cricket team when he gets adapted into his new environment.

“Once I get settled into my classes at Humber, I’m also hoping to join the college cricket team if my schedule allows,” he said.

“My studies come first, but I definitely want to keep developing my cricket while balancing school, academy training and preparing for the North American Cup.”

National coach Cal Waldron has started the team’s preparations for the trip to Cayman at North Field, National Sports Centre.

“The session numbers are varying based on players’ commitments outside of cricket,” he said.

“So anything from ten to the full training squad is what we have at every session. Our training squad is 25, but some of the players are at school overseas.”