He is yet to be confirmed as national coach but Gus Logie has already received a hearty endorsement from one of the most influential men in local cricket.

Bermuda?s skipper Clay Smith yesterday hailed the news that the former West Indies batsman and coach was favoured to be the Island?s next cricket coach as ?a bonus for our cricket?.

Both Logie and Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) president Reggie Pearman acknowledged Wednesday that a contract was close to being sealed and the Trinidadian is expected to link up with the Island?s training squad at a ten-day camp in his homeland in April.

?This is definitely good news for Bermuda?s cricket, to have somebody of Gus? stature and background, having just taken the West Indies to the ICC Champions Trophy in England and also having the experience of getting Canada to the 2003 World Cup. That?s a bonus for our cricket and the sooner the better,? declared Smith.

?He brings a wealth of knowledge as a player who has been all around the world competing at the highest level in different environments. He knows what it takes to win.?

Noting that, other than regional opponents USA and Canada, Bermuda know little about the pedigree of fellow International Cricket Council (ICC) Associate countries, Smith said he anticipates Logie will bring valuable insight into what the Island will face at the ICC Trophy in Ireland in July. There, 12 Associate members will battle for five spots in the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

?We have played most of those countries but not recently and obviously he would have more knowledge about some of the teams than we do and he would be able to gather more information from a strategic point of view on these teams,? reasoned the Bermuda captain. ?I?m sure he will be doing everything to gain information that will give us any edge possible when it comes to crunch time.?

Smith offered the prospective new coach a long-range assurance that he and his players are ?strong believers? who ?know that we can qualify? and are willing to give their utmost to make this dream a reality.

?We know that we have the ability and we?re willing to work hard for him. This is something the whole of Bermuda wants.?

Regarding the brevity of time Logie would have with them, Smith was not perturbed given the contribution his older brother Wendell has been making as interim coach.

?I?m not concerned about the length of time Gus has to work with us because during the last month Wendell has been working with us and the guys are more than happy with what he is doing.

?He has done a tremendous job and he has kept training at a high intensity and the players are very motivated and enthusiastic about his coaching. Basically, what Gus would be doing is coming in for the last two or three months and polishing up the final stages of our preparation.?

Training, Smith disclosed, has been proceeding smoothly with much of the focus on bowling and fielding thus far.

?One of the focal points is our bowling; limiting wides and bowling a tight line. Wendell has been emphasising bowling a really good line. We have also done a lot of tennis-ball work with our batsmen in terms of running singles, accumulating runs and things of that nature.?

As for fielding, the skipper noted it was imperative to hone such skills which are crucial to success in one-day cricket.

?One-day games are all about fielding well and restricting teams to attainable totals. If you can do that, then more than likely you will win the match,? noted Smith, adding that batting and game tactics will come under greater scrutiny within the coming months.

?We need to continue fine-tuning what we are doing. As we get closer to the tournament and play some practice matches, Gus would be able to devise a strategic plan for what he thinks is the best way we should approach a 50-overs game.

?We have a few ideas about how we want to play from last year when we worked with Mark Harper but Gus may come in with different ones.?