It’s not every day that a Bermudian finds himself splashed over the front and back pages of Britain’s national newspapers.

But that’s what happened to Dwayne (Sluggo) Leverock yesterday after he took the wickets of two of England’s best batsmen in successive overs in Bermuda’s World Cup warm-up match in St. Vincent.

Never mind that England’s own bowlers humiliated Bermuda’s batsmen, dismissing them for a meagre 45 runs to record an emphatic victory over the smallest of the “minnows” competing in this month’s tournament.

And forget for a moment as well that the sight of the 280-pound Policeman dismissing professional stars of the game was a dream story for the pack of news-starved journalists covering England’s bid for glory. The story, good on its own terms, was the equivalent of throwing raw meat at starving hyenas, and clearly has captured the cricketing world’s imagination.

Certainly, it will be a day that Leverock will never forget.

The harsh reality that was exposed yesterday is that as a team, Bermuda has a mountain to climb just to maintain its self-respect as it faces the giants of world cricket.

When the Island faces India and Sri Lanka in the real matches later this month, there will be no let-up. The South Asian giants will be determined to play to the highest level, and Bermuda, having been given a taste of that by England, will, it is hoped, be prepared to raise their game as well. They are going to have to.

But that’s what makes Dwayne Leverock’s story so sweet. This was not David — figuratively — going up against Goliath, it was more a case of David going up against ten Goliaths, and coming out with a reputation that was not just intact, but enhanced, drawing praise from television commentators, England captain Michael Vaughan and perhaps millions of ordinary fans around the world.

Like it or not, Leverock is the symbol of Bermuda cricket, all 280 pounds of him, and he has been Exhibit A when those who say associate nations do not belong in the World Cup make their case.

Yesterday, Leverock went a long way to proving the critics wrong and he showed what most Bermuda supporters have long known. Big man or not, Leverock can bowl and when he is on form, he can make the best batsmen in the world look very silly, as he did on Monday.

To be sure, the delight the cricketing world has taken in Leverock cannot overshadow the deeper realities of Bermuda taking part in the World Cup. Cricket is a team sport, and Leverock, limited to ten overs, can only make a truly meaningful contribution to ten percent of the full 100-over match.

Bermuda’s other bowlers had decent days, and to hold a team like England to 286 runs was just about respectable. But the flaws in the team’s batting — theoretically the team’s strength — were cruelly exposed. As a team, Bermuda cannot afford another performance like that one.

But for now, it is enough to revel in Dwayne Leverock’s superlative spell. His performance will go down in Bermuda cricket history, and one can imagine an eight-year-old Bermudian spin bowler bowling to his friend on a school playground and thinking: “Leverock to Pietersen ... he’s out, he’s out! Bermuda’s Dwayne Leverock just got the best one-day batsman in the world out!”

It’s the stuff dreams are made of.