The Gus Logie-Bermuda team showdown at next year?s inaugural 20-20 World Cricket Classic is now no longer going to open the event.

Logie, named as part of a West Indies squad that includes Viv Richards, Curtly Ambrose, Joel Garner, Richie Richardson and Curtly Ambrose, told yesterday that he would not be playing against the national team he has guided to World Cup qualification.

?I was actually approached about this long before I knew whether I would be coaching the Bermuda team and said yes to play in this event,? said Logie, a formidable Test player in his time with the then all-conquering Windies outfit.

?But if I am still coach of Bermuda then, there is no way I am going to be playing for the West Indies, it would be a massive clash of interests and there is no way it could happen.

?It would be not be possible to coach Bermuda through the tournament as well as play.?

Logie?s absence from the field still does not detract from the mouth-watering opening game of next year?s tournament, touted as being a cross between the World Rugby Classic and Cup Match, where Garner, Richards et al will take to the field for their 20-over thrash against Clay Smith?s men.

The main reason Logie isn?t prepared to pull himself away from his charges for that, or any other match, is that the Cricket Classic is going to mean much more to the World-Cup bound national side than a simple bit of fun in the sun.

?Yes, this is going to be an important part of our ongoing preparations for the World Cup,? said Logie, whose side travel to Namibia next month for the finals of the ICC Intercontinental Cup.

?Any international cricket is going to be good for us, although, to be honest, this tournament is going to be as much about picking people?s brains as it is playing cricket against them.

?It will be a good test for us to take on some very experienced international players, even if they are ageing a little. But it also means we will have access here to some of the greatest minds in the sport and picking up advice from them will be of enormous benefit to us.?

Although 20-20 is seen as a bit of a run thrash, there is still plenty of genuine cricketing skill and savvy needed to do well in the event and Logie will be keen to see his side put in strong performances against the galaxy of international greats.

?There might only be 20 overs but you still have to go in there, get yourself in and try and build an innings,? continued Logie, clearly a fan of the short form of the game coming here next year.

?You can?t go in and smash the ball everywhere, the secret is to make sure you last the 20 overs. If there are a handful of overs left and wickets in hand then you can go for it, but there are plenty of sides who get bowled out in 20 overs and lasting your allotted time is hugely important.?

And Logie is hopeful that Bermuda?s side, the only team competing who will be used to playing with each other and still in training, can do well in the tournament, being brought here by the Get Fit Foundation.

?Yes, I think we can do very well in this,? continued the coach, who has brought a new era of self-belief to the national team that has seen them grind out victories over UAE, Canada, Cayman, USA and Denmark in recent months.

?We certainly have the batting for this form of cricket and if people like Lionel Cann, Clay Smith and Janeiro Tucker really get going than we could post some big scores.

?But it will be a case of how well we can handle the bowling. There are some top-class players taking part in this and it could be a good test to see how we cope against players of this calibre.

?Certainly we will have a fitness advantage over every team but you can never discount the experience and skill people like Viv Richards and Chris Cairns have.?

Next year?s Cricket Classic sees eight teams from around the world converge on the Island for a 20-20 tournament in which the Bermudian Government has invested $1m.

Organisers of the event, to be played on an artificial strip at the National Sports Centre, are hoping to attract as many as 5,000 spectators a day.