After watching his team claw their way back from the brink of defeat to salvage a hard-fought draw against Canada in Toronto on Sunday, national coach Mark Harper said it was imperative that Bermuda competed regularly against ?quality? opposition if they were to improve at the international level.

Coach Harper reckoned Bermuda had what it takes to again be a dominant force in the Americas region but warned ?a lot of work still needs to be done?.

?I expect Bermuda to be in the mix at all the competitions in the Americas region. But I think a lot more work has to go into the team because the players now realise they will have to lift their games technically and in every other area,? said Harper, now nearing the end of a three-year contract as head coach.

?I think these guys can only get better if they are confronted with these types of competitions on a regular basis because there are a lot of good things to look forward to in the future. But I think a lot more work has to be done by the administration (Bermuda Cricket Board) and the players themselves.?

Of the three-day ICC Intercontinental Cup clash with Canada, Harper said Bermuda ?deserved? a draw against the Americas champions who advanced to the semi-finals of the competition to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this year.

?I actually think we deserved it. We started the match pretty well and then our performance fell down a bit on the second day (Saturday). But on Sunday we showed character and showed we had a lot of quality players in the team.

?I don?t think we batted to our full potential in either innings but at least we showed some fighting character and some glimpses of the talent in the team.

?Our skipper (Clay Smith, 63) had a good innings and OJ Pitcher (26) a cameo innings.

?But Irving Romaine (37 and 40) once again batted well even though I thought he should have gone on to a bigger innings . . . everyone right down the innings put their heads down to try and achieve the objective which was to bat out the entire day.?

The team, said Harper, were now beginning to gel.

?I think the guys are playing according to plan, even though sometimes we aren?t as successful as we would like to be,? he added. ?But the guys are beginning to understand how to go out there and work to a game plan.

?I think our approach was a bit better but we still have a long way to go. But the guys are understanding basically that you must have some sort of idea where it is you want to go when you are out there (on the pitch).

?Yes, we lost to the USA and then didn?t do as well as we had hoped in this game but the guys are now looking to bat a little longer and pick up the singles.?

Harper heaped praise upon youngsters Delyone Borden and OJ Pitcher.

?Delyone and OJ are two very talented young players and I think that if they can remain committed and focused they should serve Bermuda well in the future ? those guys have good character and are not fazed by anything. But of course this was quality bowling they were up against where one simple mistake cost them their wicket.?

The coach was also satisfied with the pitch at Sunnybrook which raised a few concerns heading into the match over its readiness and ability to withstand three days of cricket.

?When I saw the pitch I was a little concerned,? said Harper. ?It had a lot of map grass and bare patches on it but I have to say it played excellent. I thought it assisted both the batsmen and the bowlers.?