Placing the administrative troubles of the past week on the backburner for now, Bermuda?s national cricket team begin their much anticipated Americas Championship campaign against Argentina at Somerset Cricket Club today.

With rain lashing the Island over the last few days and uncertainty surrounding the exact conditions which will confront the teams when they arrive at the ground this morning, Bermuda?s selectors will delay the decision on their final eleven until just before the toss.

The Argentinian contingent arrived on the Island yesterday lunchtime from Canada, where they played two warm-up matches against an under-23 Canadian side in Toronto.

But New Zealand born, Argentinian coach Mark Hesson lamented upon arrival yesterday that his charges were ?slightly undercooked? given that they have come directly from a southern hemisphere winter and have played only four competitive games of cricket in the last three and a half months.

?It is unfortunate that we are the only team at the tournament which is currently out of season,? conceded Hesson, who has also had to battle with limited top-class practice facilities and basic cricket equipment in Buenos Aires since arriving to prepare Argentina at the beginning of the year.

?The boys have trained very hard despite the adverse circumstances,? he continued, ?and to be honest we are revelling in the role of underdogs because it takes all the pressure off us. Provided everyone contributes, I think we may surprise a few people this week.?

Bermuda skipper Clay Smith, meanwhile, yesterday revealed that the spirit in the local camp was ?buoyant? and paid tribute to what he felt was a very strong squad at the selectors? disposal.

?The players are all excited that the tournament is here at last and are eager to get going,? he said.

?We have worked incredibly hard over the last several months to make sure we are ready and now it is time to separate the men from the boys.?

Asked whether he was familiar in any way with today?s opposition, Smith said that although he felt Argentina probably lacked players of genuine star quality, he imagined they would be well organised, competitive and dangerous to underestimate.

?I?ve played against Argentina on a few occasions and although I?ve heard they are a little unprepared coming from their winter, they are still not a bad side. They will be very keen, particularly in the field, which is their strength from what I?ve seen of them. Argentina are not a team we will take lightly. Obviously we are favourites to win but we must make sure we are solid and get all the basics right.?

Despite the very public quarrels which erupted last week over the omission of controversial wicketkeeper Jason Anderson from the final squad, Smith had no intention of being drawn on the subject and stated instead that he ?could not be happier? with the players chosen to follow him out onto the park.

He scoffed also at the suggestion that Bermuda would rely overly on their three senior batsman, Glenn Blakeney, Charlie Marshall and himself, to score the bulk of the runs.

?What I like about this team is that all of the players have a strong inner self-belief and feel that they are good enough to be playing at this level and that they belong within our set-up,? he said.

?That is an absolutely priceless commodity in any team?s success I believe we have mental toughness in abundance. In every team also there are obviously key batsman and Glen, Charlie and myself are the wickets the opposition will want most. But we have a good amount of batting all the way down the order and I know there will be a substantial number of runs from elsewhere.?

With Canada and the USA, Bermuda?s toughest opponents on paper, scheduled for the weekend at the National Sports Centre, Smith said that he was hopeful that his side would have already guaranteed a place by then ? by beating Argentina, Cayman Islands and the Bahamas ? among the top three teams in the tournament and by right therefore, a place at the ICC Trophy in Ireland next year.

They will then be able to ?relax and enjoy the challenge? of taking on the North Americans in front of what could be sizeable crowds at the NSC.

?We want to get off to a good start and create a little bit of momentum going into the latter part of the week,? he said.

?It is crucial that we perform well and produce the goods in the first three games because we do not want to be heading into the weekend against the US and Canada having to win in order to qualify for Ireland.?

As a last word before the action gets underway, the skipper called on the public to come out ?in large numbers? to support the team.

?I want to reach out to the cricketing public and beyond. If there is a time that you can come forward and support your country, it is now,? he said.

?The more support, the more noise, the more atmosphere, the better the performance will be from my team. We have a very good side which could do the Island proud and I really think the boys are ready mentally to get the job done.?

Bermuda Cricket Board and the Bank of Bermuda Foundation yesterday announced a major partnership deal for the ICC Americas World Cup Qualifying Series.

As a result of what was described as a ?sizeable financial package? the public will be able to attend the games at the National Sports Centre free of charge during the week ? except on Saturday and Sunday where the price for admission will be ten dollars.

?We are very pleased and excited to have the Bank of Bermuda Foundation on board for the tournament,? said BCB treasurer Neil Speight.

?They have been an outstanding supporter of Bermuda cricket, the under-15 national team and the educational scholarship for St.David?s young seamer Steffan Kelly in England, so it is fitting that they have agreed to support us during this highly prestigious event.?