SPORTS journalists came out in numbers on Wednesday in anticipation of the big announcement that didn’t happen.Now, like the rest of Bermuda they will have to wait a little bit longer — February 11 — to see who will represent Bermuda at the World Cup next March in the West Indies.

Bermuda Cricket Board officials Neil Speight, Arnold Manders, the chairman of selectors and national coach Gus Logie, poured cold water on the media men’s excitement by announcing that, because of “a number of factors”, including injury and fitness and high performance reports and psychological evaluations, the announcing of the 15 players for the World Cup will be delayed until just before the deadline for team selection set by the World Cup organisers.

Instead a training squad of 19 was announced, of which 18 will go on another training camp in Trinidad in early January (Ryan Steede’s treatment programme for a back injury will prevent him from making the trip). Fifteen players from that 19 will then be selected for the World Cricket League in Kenya in late January, which will be the final tour before the World Cup squad is announced by mid-February.

And while the guessing continues for a few more weeks, there was at least one major announcement — Irving Romaine will captain the Bermuda team with Dean Minors as vice captain. Clay Smith, who led the team in between injury layoffs, will still have to earn his place in the team on the basis of fitness. Barring another breakdown, Smith will have a key role to play as coach Logie revealed that Minors and Smith could the choices for the two spots at the top of the batting order. It is the area in the team, as well as the new ball attack, that has caused great concern since the World Cup qualifying campaign in Ireland in 2005 when youngsters Delyone Borden and OJ Pitcher faced the new ball.

“We want to stick with Dean Minors and Clay Smith at this point in time,” said Logie. “We feel with the new format of 20 overs (powerplay) we will definitely need to make use of the field placings and those two players have shown with a 50-run partnership in seven overs (recently in Africa) that they can handle it.

‘Yes, there will be opportunities for others, but at this point in time I would like to give them another run for awhile.”

The number three spot is also still up for grabs (Stephen Outerbridge, Kwame Tucker and Delyone Borden are the likely candidates), with captain Romaine coming in at four (or even at three) and English county player David Hemp at five, to be followed by Janeiro Tucker, Saleem Mukuddem and Lionel Cann, though not necessarily in that order. Others like Malachi Jones and OJ Pitcher will look to the upcoming tours to force their way into the middle order.

“We also have an option of somebody like Lionel coming up (higher) to make use of the limited field placings,” said Logie who also revealed that Mukuddem is likely to remain in the middle order having previously been used as high up as number three.

“He is basically a strike bowler but we will use him as an allrounder. In the latter stages he has been able to work the ball around because of the gaps in the field and his style of play is more suited for that.”

Getting the players to elevate the mental aspect of their game has been a continual process since the team qualified for the World Cup. Mental toughness, which Logie spoke of during the recent tour of Africa, is often the difference between winning and losing.

“One of the problems I have is we learn lessons and then we go back,” said Logie. “That, for me, is most frustrating. Guys know ‘if I have a late night then I might not perform as well as I want to’. Then why take the risk?

“That’s where the professionalism comes in. Players understand more and more of what is required of them, but whether or not they are prepared to make that extra sacrifice comes down to the individuals. You must have the mind to win and the will to succeed.”

Logie, while not “‘wanting to give away any secrets or put anybody ahead of anyone” said a place is there to be won by everybody in the squad, even the youngest members of the squad, teenagers Malachi Jones, Rodney Trott and Stefan Kelly.

“We’re going to give these guys every opportunity to show what they can do,’ the coach assured.

“The sky is the limit for these guys.”

Logie stressed that players can still ‘pick themselves’ with their performances in Trinidad and Kenya next month.

“Definitely. That’s the opportunity that is going to be given to them,” said Logie.

“Their own performances, their attitudes to what we are about and their own approaches, that’s what is going to help them get into the squad. We are giving players help right now, getting people to talk to them about the psychological side of it and more individuals must take the opportunity to discuss things with people like that.

“There is a fear of failure, obviously, and I understand that in a small society like ours that people are always going to be in your face telling you different things and sometimes what people say to you affects you in different ways, negatively or positively. We need players to understand that they have to deal with that, that’s part and parcel of the whole process of being a professional.”

After a Christmas break, the team will resume training in the nets at the National Sports Centre. Asked if he was confident the team will go to the World Cup and not embarrass themselves, Logie replied: “I don’t think it is a matter of embarrassing yourself. Sport is such that you will be disappointed if you don’t do as well as you want, but I wouldn’t like to use the word embarrass.

“Sports is such that you are going to win and you are going to lose. I want to see the players give a good account of themselves as individuals and collectively at the end of the day. I do believe we can produce our best efforts and at the end of it the outcome will take care of itself.”

Minors, Smith get the nod as openers