WHO would have thought a year ago that Bermuda would be going to the 2007 World Cup, have over $11 million injected into the game by Government and the national team would be travelling to play in countries like Namibia and now the United Arab Emirates?

"Things have changed," laughed Bermuda's national coach, former West Indies Test player Gus Logie who left for the UAE with the team last night to play five friendly limited overs games.

"What we have to do is embrace the changes that cricket has gone through (since qualifying for the World Cup last summer at the ICC Trophy). We have to continue to move forward ? there is no two ways about it. The players have shown a lot of commitment and a great sense of responsibility.

"We just have to continue to work hard and produce the kind of cricket we know we are capable of producing."

Of the trip to the UAE with a young squad, Logie said: "These trips are important. Travelling is an education in itself ? there is a whole world out there and the players have to learn that things are done differently out there ? this is a great opportunity for them to broaden their horizons. Their whole personality development will take an upward curve." And playing abroad also is much needed for the confidence of Bermuda's players. "It is good for their confidence to play away. Sometimes young players can become intimidated when they play abroad but I think that the players are now showing me a level of confidence."

Logie has been to the UAE before and said the conditions at Sharjah and also at Dubai where they will play one match, are excellent.

"I expect that the temperatures will be in the 70s although it will cool down at night. But the conditions in terms of cricket will be ideal. There will be flat pitches with a bit of grass and also nice big stadiums ? especially in Sharjah. It is a very big beautiful stadium."

And Logie will not have to worry about the players getting up to any nonsense at night. "It is also a dry country so alcohol is not going to be a problem," he said with a laugh.

After landing in the UAE Logie said the players will have "at least two days before the first game to get acclimatised".

Leading the 15-man squad will be Janeiro Tucker, one of the heroes last summer at the ICC Trophy.

It was Tucker who led Bermuda to victory against the UAE in the place of injured skipper Clay Smith last summer when Bermuda took on the UAE in Ireland.

Bermuda's first match against the UAE will take place at Sharjah on Monday during the day with the second match being played in Dubai on Tuesday ? also a day match.

The third game will be a day/night match in Sharjah on Thursday, February 2nd with the fourth match being played on Friday, February 3rd ? also a day/night match.

The final match will be played at Abu Dhabi on Sunday, February 5th and will be a day match.

Of the UAE team Logie said: "I assume the UAE will be looking at some of their younger cricketers but they will also want to be using the better players. They were involved in the ICC Trophy (last summer in Ireland) and they failed so they will be looking to reestablish themselves ? there is no doubt about it. I have no doubt that whoever we play will have some credibility and some standing."

The majority of the players in the UAE are from Pakistan or of Pakistani and Indian decent.

"The majority of the team will be from Pakistan and there will be some Indians. The workforce there is made up of Pakistan and Indian people," said Logie.

The fact that the ICC made a rule change over 10 years ago has hurt the UAE's international ambitions.

In 1994 they won the ICC Trophy which carried with it a place in the 1996 World Cup. The UAE were eliminated in the first round and have never made it back to the tournament. In 1994 the team was dominated by ex-patriates from the Test playing nations of South Asia but after the 1996 World Cup, the rules were changed requiring a set number of players to be native-born, and the team has never been so strong since.

But they do have a new coach.

Chandika Hathurusingha, a former Sri Lanka allrounder, was named the new coach for the UAE last month. After announcing his retirement from first-class cricket late last year, Hathurusingha, 37, who had a 18-year career, decided to focus on coaching and was been appointed national coach of the UAE for a one-year term.

Hathurusingha said: "I am really looking forward to the challenge of coaching an emerging cricket nation with huge potential."

"Cricket coaching has always been a passion and it also provides me with an opportunity of putting something back into the game I love. This will be my second career in cricket and my ambition is to become one of the leading coaches in the world."

Hathurusingha played 26 Tests as a medium pace allrounder, often opening the batting. He scored 1274 runs at 29.62, scoring eight fifties, as well as taking 17 wickets 46.41. He played 35 ODIs, scoring 709 runs at 20.90 and taking 14 wickets for 50.64. His international career ended after the 1999 World Cup in England. Despite international opportunities drying up after 1999, Hathurusingha continued to excel in Sri Lanka domestic cricket, finishing his career after 207 matches with 10,861 runs at 36.44 and taking 425 wickets.

Hathurusingha now wants to concentrate all his energy and attention to becoming one of Sri Lanka's leading cricket coaches. He is already recognised as one of the most highly qualified coaches in Sri Lanka having attained ECB Level 3 coaching status, one of the most advanced coaching qualifications in the world, as well as a Level II qualification with Cricket Australia.

The UAE joined the ICC as an affiliate member in 1989 and were elected to associate membership in 1990.

The ruling families for the UAE have invested substantially in cricket. Many one-day international matches between the leading cricket nations have been played in Sharjah ? and also a Test match series between Pakistan and Australia when security reasons prevented Pakistan from hosting the matches.

They competed in the 2005 ICC Trophy in Ireland finishing sixth. Their loss to Holland in the fifth-place playoff meant that they missed out on a place in the 2007 World Cup and full ODI status for the next four years.