If Bermuda's national cricketers can fulfil their potential then the Island has "as good a chance as any team" of winning the Americas 2002 Cricket Championship (the Americas Cup).

Speaking yesterday on the eve of the squad's departure, coach Mark Harper said that, while he expected the captain and other experienced players to shoulder a lot of responsibility, it was crucial all players appreciated they had a role to play effecting the team's game plan successfully during the ten-day tournament in Argentina.

"It's going to be a very tough and demanding competition but I feel we have the ability to do well. Every player must realise his contribution is important," he said.

He pointed out that, in the past, Bermuda's on-field aspirations had been undone by all-round inconsistency, particularly in batting.

"Our batting is very patchy. The problem is mainly with the way we conduct our innings. We tend to panic, especially chasing a total. We need to bat out our overs and post large totals. I would like to see us getting major totals with several contributions down the order.

"In the (International Cricket Council) ICC tournament (last year in Canada) we lost about 80 percent of our wickets to catches in the outfield. That's one of the areas I'm stressing. We have to try and work on getting singles and building partnerships. I think our shot selection and having some of the guys produce big innings is going to be very important.

"It's a question of learning from our mistakes; having the killer instinct to capitalise when you're in a good position and also being able to produce your best cricket under pressure, when you're down."

Terming Bermuda's bowling attack "very good", Harper said things still boiled down to consistency "in line and length". In addition, he said the team would need to field better and be tactically sound.

"If the players give me 100 percent and we lose a game, I can't complain about that," he surmised.

Despite a number of significant drop-outs from the initial training squad, the coach said he was pleased with the attitude and commitment of those picked to represent Bermuda.

"They are in good spirits and they're really looking forward to the tournament. They are really committed and they want to play.

"We have been training since November and I am impressed with the attitude of the guys we have in the squad now," said Harper, adding the cricketers were in good physical shape.

Looking at the opposition, he said he expected Canada and the United States to be very strong and that the Argentinians would lift their game on home soil. In addition, the Cayman Islands had very good bowlers.

Regarding playing conditions, Harper said he was informed that the pitches were slow and that the grounds were quite big.

"Obviously it's going to be hot and humid so I expect quick outfields. We will have to be very watchful until we get accustomed to the pitches and conditions."

The Bermuda national team leave for Argentina this morning via New York. Their first match is on Saturday against the hosts. They then play Canada, Cayman Islands, the Bahamas and the United States.

The tournament ends on March 16.