Skipper Clay Smith has declared today?s do or die clash with the USA as ?the biggest in Bermuda?s history.?

With victory almost certain to ensure Bermuda?s place in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, Smith said the future of cricket on the Island hinged on the game?s outcome.

?It?s just huge,? said Smith, who yesterday was still unsure whether he would play in the match as he continues to recover from a hamstring pull suffered in the game against Ireland almost a week ago.

?It?s the biggest in our history. Bermuda?s future relies on one match and you know, months ago I dreamt it would come to this.

?I actually thought that us and USA would be playing for the final spot but as it turns out the US have nothing to play for and we have everything.

?It?s just massive, really massive. Bermuda?s future depends on one game.?

With the top two in both six-team groups at the ICC Trophy automatically earning a spot in the World Cup and a place in the tournament semi-finals in Dublin tomorrow, Bermuda currently sit in third place in Group A, equal on points (five) with Denmark who boast a slightly superior run rate ? plus 0.21 compared to Bermuda?s plus 0.17.

Group leaders Ireland are virtually assured of advancing as they have seven points and a run rate of plus 1.51 ? but to make absolutely certain they need to beat Denmark in the final game today.

An upset Denmark victory coupled with a Bermuda win over the USA would leave the top three tied on points and run rate deciding the automatic qualifiers.

An Ireland win and a Bermuda victory would carry both of those teams through to the semis.

However, if both Denmark and Bermuda lost, second place would again come down to run rate with the winners of the other group match between Uganda and United Arab Emirates (both currently on three points) entering the equation.

The third and fourth-placed teams in the group will go through to play-offs in Dublin with the third and fourth-place finishers in Group B to determine fifth place overall ? which also ensures qualification for the World Cup.

Smith, who trained with the side yesterday, said he was desperate to play a part in today?s match but wouldn?t do so at the expense of the team.

?I?ll definitely be doing all I can to play. But basically I?m not going to jeopardise the team?s chances of success for the sake of me playing,? added the 34-year-old captain.

?If I can go I will definitely go, I definitely want to be a part of it but the team comes first as opposed to me being selfish.

?Regardless of what XI we put out, I think we have a great chance.

?USA basically have nothing to play for, so it?s a matter of capitalising on that and making the most of this opportunity.

?This chance comes once in a liftetime and now it?s time for Bermuda to capitalise on it.?

Both the skipper and coach Gus Logie will ultimately have to decide whether they want to change a side in which every player has made a positive contribution during victories in the last week over UAE and Denmark, and in which stand-in captain Janeiro Tucker has led from the front.

Hard-hitting batsman Irving Romaine, who played a key role in both of those triumphs, and OJ Pitcher are expected to be declared fit, despite suffering finger injuries against Denmark.

Both were named in the side to play Uganda on Tuesday when rain allowed just three overs before umpires abandoned the match and following yesterday?s rest day have had another 24 hours to recover.

While confidence in the Bermuda camp continues to be high, there?s a contrasting mood among the Americans who remain winless in this tournament following crushing defeats at the hands of UAE, Denmark and Uganda.

And today?s match at The Lawn in the small County Armagh village of Waringstown could present Bermuda with the best chance of beating their neighbours in more than two years.

Disrupted by internal administrative wrangling prior to their arrival in Ireland, the USA team have struggled from the outset, particularly in the field with seven of their ageing squad over 35 and three over the age of 40.

Their 14-man squad consists of just one player born in the US, ten hailing originally from the West Indies and three others from Pakistan.

Clayton Lambert from Guyana, a former West Indies Test player, is the most experienced in the squad but has made little impression during this tournament. Fellow Guyanese Steve Messiah, however, hit 108 in a losing cause against Uganda.

Meanwhile, action in Group B today will be equally interesting after Canada snatched a dramatic two-wicket victory over Holland on Tuesday to throw the group wide open.

That win left Canada level with Holland on six points while Scotland lead the group with eight.

Today?s final round sees Holland play Scotland and Canada taking on Papua New Guinea, while fourth-placed Namibia meet Oman.

With Canada hot favourites to defeat Papua New Guinea and significantly improve their run rate along the way, much will rest on the Holland-Scotland clash.

All the matches can be followed ball by ball on the ICC Trophy website www.icc-trophy.com.